


Empress and Concubine, Part II

by tinkerheck



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gen, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-14
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2017-12-11 19:31:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 46,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/802365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinkerheck/pseuds/tinkerheck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuffie and Vincent have let go of the past, but can they survive the future?</p>
<p>~ WIP ~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Honeymoon is Over

**Author's Note:**

> ++++++++ disclaimer ++++++++  
> I do not own Final Fantasy VII from the Final Fantasy Universe, or any of its forms or related media. I do not own these characters. I spent money to learn about this series, and I make no money in borrowing it.
> 
> ++++++++ story notes ++++++++  
> Below is (mostly) what I said at the beginning of part one, but, as I am posting part two up as its own fic, I need to follow the rules and reiterate this stuff. FYI, if you haven’t read part one, part two will not make much sense to you.
> 
> Post DoC. Plot references from BC, CC, FFVII, Advent, DoC, and some of the On the Way to a Smile novellas.  
> I made every attempt to remain faithful to FFVII canon as close as possible, but I am certainly not an expert on that universe. I got help when I needed it (thank you miho!) and I stretched canon where I saw fit for my plot.   
> But, please, for simplicity’s sake, treat this fic as an AU, or… If that term doesn’t make sense (and I still don’t think it applies), when you consider how much of this is now being made up, I’d rather call it a ‘future fic’.   
> If you have any questions about the decisions I made regarding canon, feel free to contact me.   
> The tags & warnings I selected way back in Part 1, Chapter 1, cover the entire fic, parts one & two, from beginning to end. As such, you will not find all of these situations in every chapter.  
> This fic features language and violence and sex. It is rated M, or MA, or NC-17 ¬– and that all depends on your POV. Consider it adults-only, and that you have been warned.
> 
> ++++++++ chapter notes ++++++++  
> My thanks to mihoyonagi for her generous consultation(s) (very seriously plural) on all things FFVII.  
> GaiaNet is miho’s creative term for the internet in her Yuffentine fic All Creation; I borrow it here with her permission.   
> Although… she can’t remember if she came up with it either.   
> Fish, miho, eat more fish. And do Sudoku on a daily basis. Yeeesh…….
> 
> The final fantasy wikia timeline for VII, found here, lists Vince’s birth date as October 13,1950, and Yuffie’s as November 20, 1991… and that’s what I used to establish my timeline for this fic. By the way, this is excellent resource, you should visit if interested.
> 
> Part 2 begins pretty much right after the end of Part 1, so it’s October of 2015. Please do happily assume that our leading lady & gentleman have been making with the nice-nice like bunnies in springtime since we last saw them.
> 
> I’m going to try really super hard to get my dyslexic fingers to stop misspelling Tuesti and Lucrecia. Heh. I don’t even want to talk about how many times I’ve typed ginslinger.
> 
> I fly beta-less. Please forgive the typos.

 

+

 

**Empress & Concubine II**

**Chapter One**

 

The Honeymoon is Over

 

+

 

 

 

 

Vincent Valentine did not think, at his age, that he was capable of being fooled.

The ironic thing about it was that he had been the one fooling himself, and for decades, it seemed. He wished, occasionally, that he still had Galian to talk to, if only to have it over with and tell the beast that he had been right all along.

Vincent knew that Galian, who now seemed to be in some sort of a deep meditative state, would have ridiculed him endlessly over his emotional state regarding Yuffie. Ridiculed him, yes, but not without feeling some jealously as well. Vincent had never dealt well with jealously, neither his own nor what he’d felt from his demons, so perhaps Galian’s absence was for the best.

He had fallen so hard for Yuffie it was almost unreal. He seriously doubted it was because he was truly just a romantic sap at heart, so… maybe it was just _her._

Whatever the reason, it was as though they had switched roles. In the past she had always been the one being forward – making offers, wanting to give it a go, lusting after him, _loving_ him without judgment or hesitation – and for years. All that time they managed to work together and stay very close, but he hadn’t given her any reason to believe he’d wanted her in return. And then that fight on Tifa’s porch… Vincent still recoiled at the memory. He’d almost lost what they now had; he almost lost _Yuffie_ , completely.

When she cooled her jets on him after that argument, they both knew it had mostly been out of necessity. She had work to do, the most enormous responsibility to a country that anyone could have, and when the long-dreaded task was placed in front of her, she didn’t run or back down, or even wallow. She took the reigns from her father’s hands, and said _let’s go_.

That it never dawned on Vincent or the rest of Avalanche how drastically her life would change, or how the throne would take her away from them – thiswas yet another item on the gunslinger’s mental list of _‘things that are my own fault’_.

A long list, that. Likely etched in acid on a piece of marble.

A thousand missteps, so many stupid decisions, and his cursed inaction… and yet, somehow, someway, some _thing_ had finally come out of the mess that had been his life, and it was good.

No, not good. That was not the right word. It was _fantastic_.

He was gainfully employed. He was living in Wutai, a beautiful continent with good people and a culturally rich history, in a royal palace of all places. A freely taken oath of fealty bound him there, true, but as Yuffie’s bodyguard, he was finally able to do something about the nagging worry that she was stuck in a situation too difficult for her to handle on her own. It had also given him the chance to reconcile with her. The oath hadn’t just saved their friendship, it had brought them closer together.

Then, he recognized his last opportunity to take the thing he wanted for himself. After careful consideration, a habit he would never outgrow, he swallowed his pride and finally set a personal goal: claiming Yuffie’s heart.

It may have been luck, or timing, or fate, but whatever it was he didn’t fucking care. It had worked. He’d won. Yuffie still loved him, she had fallen back _in_ love with him… and now she was letting him play naked with her, too.

Life was finally worth living. Vincent hated to admit it, but he was deeply indebted to Reno.

 

+

 

Yuffie was happy, at times incredibly so, but her perspective was different from Vincent’s.

They’d both assumed that with Vincent being much older and from a more formal generation, he’d be the one schooling her – that she’d be all crazy-in-love, and he’d be the calming influence. What they didn’t bargain for, however, was Yuffie being the one more equipped to deal with their romance. She was in love with Vincent, no doubt; she just wasn’t ‘crazy’ in love.

_He_ was.

It wasn’t because she had suddenly matured overnight; it was because of something that existed in her core, a thing that he simply didn’t possess.

No one, Yuffie included, was surprised at the way he clung to his past. That was _Vincent Valentine_ by definition. He had always struggled with ‘letting go’, to the point it had put him in a coffin for three decades.

But on top of his difficult past, Yuffie’s ability to detach was just so foreign from his own culture. The belief that life was impermanent was an ingrained concept for anyone born and raised Wutai. It was easy for Yuffie to feel the way she did – she had simply moved beyond any grudge she may have had, and settled into feeling simple, solid, permanent love for him, well before their fist kiss.

Her newly acquired coolness may have perplexed him a bit, but it was the level of his devotion that almost frightened her. She had always known that Vincent was an all-or-nothing sort of man, but this… this she simply hadn’t expected. She knew he cared about her, and she wasn’t surprised that their friendship had managed to blossom into whatever it was that they now had, considering lust had always been lurking between them under the surface.

He had moved his things, and his life, into her chambers, and behind the closed doors of her private rooms, the shift in his behavior was remarkable. She might have seen him as an obsessed boyfriend or an overly attentive husband, were it not for the fact that she loved the way he took care of her. Vincent had been in need of a reason not to simply go on with his life, but to flourish in it. She had given him that. Why wouldn’t he be eager?

She was happy with the change in him, and her head told her it was best to just enjoy his sweet, compulsive behavior, but that was easier said than done.

What if he was simply making up for many lost and unfortunate years? It was possible he was just besotted, a stage she had long since left behind when it came to him. The possibility that these intense feelings would prove temporary had eventually given her pause. Which was the reason why Yuffie was less… _eager_ than he was.

Swallowing her fears about bringing it up, she managed to ask him about it one morning while they were getting ready to face another challenging day in Wutai.

“You’re, um… kinda lovesick, dude,” she finally said, leaning on the door to the bathroom as he shaved for the day. “Oh – _not in public_ , mind you,” she corrected herself quickly.

Vincent had gotten so used to the ninja silks that he spent most mornings wearing little more than a fundoushi after his shower. She wanted to have this conversation, perhaps she even _needed_ to, but Yuffie couldn’t stop staring at the way his exposed, pale flesh conformed to those perfectly trim hips.

She closed her eyes briefly, getting a leash on her train of thought. “But, I think you’re infatuated with me, Vince – I mean… well, with _us_ … at least right now.”

“Infatuated?” he said, sounding surprised that she’d notice such a thing. He had to admit she was right, though. Turning back to the mirror, he continued shaving. “I suppose I am.”

He paused, smiling at her, as he finished with the last strip of shaving cream and then wiped his face off with a hot, wet cloth. When she only watched him and didn’t speak, he had the nerve to chuckle.

“All right. _Yes_ , I am infatuated – with us, _and_ with you. And yes, it probably will diminish.” He flipped off the switch to the overhead light in the bathroom and smirked at her concerned face as he walked past her towards his part of the closet. Grabbing a fresh pair of hakama, he spoke to her from the inside of the closet.

“Yuffie, for one thing, it’s only been seventeen days since we entered this relationship. Can you blame me?” She didn’t respond, other than to feel even more confirmation for her worries because he was actually _counting the days_.

Popping his head out of their closet, Vincent found she hadn’t moved from where she had been leaning. Her head was bowed and her back was to him, and she was now, apparently, sulking. Out of her sight, he smiled indulgently and continued dressing.

“Titan’s teeth, woman. Let me _enjoy_ it.”

She turned, looking down at her bare feet as they stuck out from the hem of her lavender pajama pants. Voice little more than a mutter, she asked, “But will you still want to be with me, you know… when it wears off?”

“Who says it will wear off?”

_“Vincent.”_

He shook his head, grabbing the last of his clothes and tossing them on the chair next to the fire.

He walked up to her slowly. With no sandal straps to tuck them into yet, the legs of his hakama billowed loose about his ankles, making him look relaxed and alluring. And, of course, there were those hips, moving, flexing beneath the silk, a strip of skin still exposed at the side of the old-fashioned garment…

_My stoic gunslinger has become all lovey-dovey… and now **I’m** actin’ like a sex maniac. Reno, you bastard Turk, you have rubbed off on me. _

Yuffie had trouble taking her eyes off of his legs, but eventually her gaze traveled up to his face, and that only made things worse. Vincent gave her a look that was at first menacing, then it melted into something with more affection. She stood her ground as he took her face in his hands and kissed her thoroughly.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he whispered, brushing the words across her lips before kissing her again.

Vincent released her and sighed, then went back to getting dressed. “Try to look at things this way… next Spring, _you_ may be the one that is smitten. Such feelings come and go over the course of a relationship. Through some miracle we managed to get where we are, and all that matters now… is that _we are staying here,_ Empress.”

She smiled. “Okay, Vinnie.”

“This morning we are meeting with Madam Chekov to discuss the security of the public celebration for your upcoming birthday. Get dressed, you little moron, or we’ll be late.”

Yuffie bit her lip and smiled. She wondered at times if Lucrecia truly realized just how much she had given up when she’d chosen Hojo over Vincent.

 

+

 

“Did you enjoy your party?” Vincent’s voice was quiet and unhurried.

“Oh yeah,” Yuffie replied, too relaxed to move.

Her twenty-fourth had been a mostly private affair, with the exception of the inevitable public festivities. She and Vincent would have loved to have seen their old friends, but a few members of the council were still not convinced that letting outsiders past the borders _too_ often was in Wutai’s best interests. Between Yuffie’s first Jubilee, Vincent’s recent birthday party and the food and biofuel contracts with Shinra, there had been more foreign comings and goings in the last three months than Wutai had seen during the entire year previous. Inviting their friends in again for another party, however small, seemed to be pushing it, so they decided to keep any personal celebrations local.

Very local, as in dinner and dessert in the banquet room on the second floor of the palace with only the closest of their Wutai friends.

They retired to her chambers after the private party. Lounging by a quiet fire on a mound of oversized pillows, they talked together well into the evening as a cold November rain poured outside, beating against the wavy handmade glass of the large window. The occasional flash of lightening scattered across the room to illuminate their bare skin.

“Vincent… Did you _steal_ these pillows?”

“Absolutely not. I _procured_ them. The guest rooms that I tookthem from are rarely used, as such, the pillows weren’t being used either.” He shifted, placing more of his weight on top of her, his intent becoming more obvious. “I _recycled_ them. And that goes well with your stance on the environment, Empress.”

“My, my, don’t _you_ sound proud of yourself. I swear, Vincent, you’ve gone from Captain Emo to Captain Ego in less than a month.”

She gasped, trying to tamp down the tickling sensations his tongue was creating as he whispered against her ear. “Are you complaining?”

_“No…_ Gaia, Vinnie! Quit that, I can’t breathe! _”_ Yuffie giggled. He pulled back, looking down at her with a smug, hungry expression.

“So are you expecting a reward for your diligence regarding my environmental policies?” she asked, trailing the back of one hand up his chest, barely touching him, forcing him to suppress a shiver.

“…Yes.”

She bit her lip as she took Vincent’s face in her hands, then kissed him slowly. Yuffie didn’t release him until she was satisfied. When she was done, he sighed deeply, laying his head in the space between her shoulder and neck. Half of his body was on top of hers now, and he cradled her close like a greedy child.

“Don’t fall asleep _there_ , dude… I’ll never be able to move you offa me.”

“I do not see the problem.”

“You’re not the one who is trapped underneath somebody twice her weight.”

“I still don’t see the problem… but that reminds me, my dear girl,” he sighed, pulling his head away slightly to look up into her eyes.

Yuffie blushed at his words.

Reno had called her everything in the book from _doll_ to _sweetcheeks_ to _candy-ass_ – that last had earned the redhead a punch in the gut. She hadn’t at all appreciated what _he_ thought was a very clever double-meaning.

Yuffie hadn’t expected a pet name of any sort from Vincent until several years down the road. But it had only taken him a day or two to settle on one, if you could even define ‘my dear girl’ as a pet name.

She blinked at him, a bit too sweetly. “Yes, my stud muffin?”

Vincent grimaced. He took what comfort he could in the fact that she hadn’t settled on _any_ pet name, yet. Given her tendencies, hopefully she never would.

“Disgusting, Yuffie… Please, just go back to ‘Vinnie’… or even ‘dude’. I actually _like_ that by comparison.”

She grinned, and decorated his cheek with many small kisses before speaking again.

“What is it you want to tell me, _Vincent?”_

“Thank you. Now, you get a bit ribald when you are tipsy, and you need to watch that in public. Even at just a small get together with trusted friends, Hiro remains nothing but courtly towards you. When you gave him that full-body hug at the party tonight I thought he might faint.”

“Nadja thought it was funny. She nearly choked on her martini laughing.”

“Yes, but Nadja is a concubine, and she is within our circle.”

“Even Chekov laughed.”

“One does not tell Madam Chekov how to react, in _any_ situation. And stop changing the subject. You need to be cautious. Perhaps get drunk only when we are alone, yes? So I can keep an eye on you.”

“Take _advantage_ of me, you mean.”

“Try to fend off your more aggressive sexual tendencies, you mean.”

“Oh my _gawd_ , are you saying I have a filthy mind?

“Most certainly.”

“And are you complaining?” she whispered in his ear, mirroring his affectionate gesture.

“Most certainly not.”

“Vincent… I really do love you.”

He stared down at her serious, sweet face for a moment and let the meaning of her words sink in, just like he always did.

_How can such little words carry so much weight?_

Even though he was currently the smitten one, he’d only ever said those words once. Just _one_ time over the past month, and it hadn’t even been while they were in a clinch.

She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth before bed when she heard him.

_‘I love you, Yuffie.’_

Turning to stare at him with her mouth hanging open and toothpaste dribbling down her chin, her cheeks had blushed furiously, and she frowned as tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Between her toothpaste goatee, pink cheeks, glistening eyes and the gold-colored pajamas, Vincent had burned the unforgettable image into his brain.

Chatty as ever, Yuffie pretty much told him she loved him, or some form of it, on a daily basis. But his restraint with speaking those particular words aloud did nothing to change the fact that they both knew what was in his heart.

Still waters ran very, very deep with the gunslinger.

She yelped slightly when his only response was to flip her over onto her stomach, then she giggled as he shoved a huge pillow under her tummy and had his way with her.

 

+

 

Several subjects had been discussed at her party, but one of them seemed to keep cropping up: that she and Vincent were obviously more than just an item, and that the relationship would have to be dealt with in terms of public perception. Yuffie was still very confident that someday the rules would change, and if she had anything to do with it, it would happen in her lifetime. Father Oleg agreed with her, as did Nadja, but Chekov, Hiroyuki and Vincent had their doubts.

Shake was on the fence. Frankly, he was having a hard enough time digesting how much Yuffie had grown up in the last year.

Divorcing Hiroyuki seemed silly. It would almost have been too hard to explain – especially since she and Hiro had made too many public appearances by that point.

Over drinks, they considered the scenario from a public point of view: Yuffie ends her seemingly happy four-month marriage to a loyal, popular, full-blooded Wutai ninja, so that she can take her bodyguard as a lover. Then, after breaking Hiro’s heart, she can’t even have babies with the bodyguard let alone marry him, due to the fact that he is known not to be Wutai?

It was sticky at best.

In Wutai, if a royal marriage was performed only for convenience, concubines and consorts were not frowned upon, but there was a distinct difference between the two.

Concubines, domestic _or_ foreign, were simply for pleasure, which is why no one objected too much regarding Reno and his bright blues eyes. _Consorts,_ on the other hand, were a commitment. They were for love… and _babies_ , because with a consort, an Empress is choosing the father of her children outside of her marriage.

As such, consorts also had to be Wutai, which meant Vincent as father to Yuffie’s children was out of the question – _publically_. Yuffie still had every intention of giving Vincent children, especially since he’d made it clear back on Tifa’s porch that he wanted them.

All this left them with one choice. She stayed ‘happily’ married to Hiroyuki. As far as the public was concerned, they were intending to produce an heir, through whatever means. For anyone else who cared or grew suspicious, Nadja could be considered Hiro’s concubine, and Vincent was…

Vincent was Yuffie’s bodyguard.

Having been raised in a royal household, having known what the rules were and how to break them since she was a young girl, Yuffie was not unsettled by all of this. In her mind, any scenario that had her withVincent Valentine was good enough.

But it was just too complicated for the gunslinger, and he often found his head spinning with all the implications and consequences that falling in love with royalty had brought him. They were still arguing as to whether or not he could ever accept being referred to as a concubine, even if it was kept secret. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed – it had more to do with the fact that out of all the roles available to him, he now wanted the one he could no longer have: to be her _husband._

Unfortunately, he was still a man that accepted blame very easily, and having lost the opportunity to marry Yuffie was… yet another thing etched on that damn stone tablet in his head. Vincent was trying to not feel guilty at the drop of a hat, but ‘moving on’ was one of the most difficult things he had ever tackled.

He _was_ moving on, more than he ever had before in his life… but that led to other concerns as well.

One day at a meeting, one of the council members had the gall to inquire after Yuffie and Hiroyuki’s _reproductive capabilities_. Later, Vincent worked up the nerve to discuss the subject of children with her.

“And what do we do if our baby has my red eyes? Everyone will know it is mine. There will be angry villagers, Yuffie… _Literally,”_ Vincent mentioned one night.

“They’re not _that_ bad. And by then… Well, you know what? _Fuck ‘em,_ I say,” she barked.

Yuffie was apparently not concerned about it. He wasn’t as convinced, but, he let it rest.

For now, at least, most of it wasn’t really an issue. Yuffie had made it down Leviathan’s altar before her twenty-fifth year, so the council could just shut the hell up as far as she was concerned. And babies were definitely planned – _with_ Vincent, fiery red eyes or not, thank you very much – but they were still pretty far off.

Years ago, knowing that her life on the road needed a more reliable form of protection than ‘just say no’, she’d asked Reeve to cook up some birth control for her. It was the same kind that all the female Turks used; hormonally adjusted to the woman it was made for, making it very accurate, and it required no more than the implant of a small device that needed updating just once a year.

Reeve had been regularly administering and replacing the tiny device himself, injecting it into the underside of her upper arm about two inches above her elbow. He’d graciously seen to her peace of mind for the last seven years, and he’d updated it for her again – _privately,_ in his office, right before she went back to Wutai _–_ when her hymen had been rebuilt. By the time she and Vincent had become intimate, she was still good for another six months.

The WRO president had been the only one that knew about it, because at the time, he was the only one who needed to, but Yuffie told Vincent the entire story after their first night together. He took it surprisingly well when he realized that he couldn’t get her pregnant then, but would still have the opportunity to, one day.

He’d still had a few questions, however.

Reluctant to leave the comfort of her big bed that morning, they just lounged, talking, teasing each other, _relaxing_ for once. After Yuffie told him about the contraceptive, he pushed her arm up over her head. Taking a closer look, he caressed the tiny bump where the implant rested just under her skin.

“I thought this was a healed-over scar from a puncture wound, or some sort of shrapnel, perhaps.”

“Nope. Uh… so how long have you known it was there?”

“Shortly after Omega. You fell asleep on the cold ground one night when we were on a mission together. You were exhausted, and out cold, and I didn’t want you to get sick, so I carried you to the tent. I felt it when I picked you up.”

He’d paused, then, and she knew he was fighting with himself as to whether or not he had any right to ask the next question… so she simply barreled forward and answered it for him instead.

“I asked Reeve to get it for me just before I turned seventeen, after Meteor.”

Vincent’s eyebrows jumped slightly at that one. “That long ago?”

“Are you mad?” she asked, wincing.

“No. No, not at all.”

“Disappointed, then.”

He gave her soft smile before answering. “Yuffie. _No_. I’m just surprised, and maybe… a bit jealous.” She grinned softly. “So you lost your virginity at sixteen?”

“Ah… Actually, I was almost eighteen. But I came really close a few times before that, so it’s a good thing I went to Reeve when I did.”

“Eighteen…” He frowned again, thinking back. “I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”

“Well, I _wasn’t_ , really. I mean, I thought I might be, at the time, but…”

“He didn’t treat you properly?”

She winced. “The guy didn’t hurt me, if that’s what you are asking, but… Beyond that, let’s just say that I didn’t have any expectations to begin with.” Vincent didn’t like hearing that one bit, and his face did nothing to hide his feelings. “Oh, come _on_ , Vince… it’s not that big a deal.”

“Yes, it is. It’s a very ‘big deal’.”

She shook her head. “All that flowery shit they write about your first time _ever_ … hearing angels singing, it being _so_ painful then suddenly _so_ wonderful, and then afterwards, thinking _Gaia fucking moved_ … That’s all chocobo crap. A girl’s lucky if she even has an orgasm her first time – which, I did _not_ , thank you. I gave myself the first one of those.”

He ignored how interested he was to hear more about that last part – _get a grip, Valentine_ – and went back to making his point. A very important one, in his mind at least.

“Yuffie. I refuse to subscribe to the over-saturated and rude idea that losing one’s virginity, _especially_ for a young girl, is not an important event in a person’s life.”

“Okay, okay! I’ll admit that I’ve gotten jaded right along with the rest of Gaia! But, Vinnie, even if the guy tries really hard, it almost never ends up all perfect and mind-blowing.”

“That’s because young men these days are not instructed by their fathers how to properly go about such things.”

“And yours did?”

He paused before responding. “He may have been a bit cold, but he raised me right. And it is not ‘crap’, as you say. If all those things you mentioned didn’t happen, then whoever this idiot was he definitely did _not_ treat you properly.”

She stared at his face then, and felt yet another warm fuzzy forming in her stomach. His jealousy was growing on her very quickly.

“Then you should be happy.”

“Why?”

“Because,” she laughed lightly, “Artificial or not, I had another hymen up until last night. So you kinda gave me all that great stuff… or don’t you remember?” All he could manage in response was a quiet laugh. “I guess I grew up a lot faster than you or the rest of the gang ever knew.”

“You are full of secrets, Yuffie,” he whispered. Done talking, he kissed her neck.

“Just don’t… don’t tell Cid. He’ll fucking _kill_ me.” Vincent nipped at her skin, and she gasped. “The jealousy thing is nice, though…”

They didn’t manage to reappear from her room that day until very late in the afternoon.

 

+

 

Yuffie was not as indifferent to the delicacy of their situation as she appeared. That same evening, she went immediately to Chekov and told her what had changed. The councilwoman was only as conservative as she needed to be on the job, but in real life she was thrilled that the two of them had finally given in to their feelings. Yuffie was going to be devoured alive by her post of she didn’t have something in her life that was solely for her own happiness. As far as Chekov could tell of Vincent, he had been in the same boat.

Yet she could sense something bothering the young woman, and pressed her for the truth.

As Vincent had already moved his things into her room that afternoon, Yuffie was worried about the maids. They were young, and they’d obviously been paying attention to his personal things. She had no doubt the migrated couch of last September had caused some discussion, and she didn’t want that to go any further.

But, she didn’t want to offend them or make them suspicious by sending them away when they had, in fact, been doing a very good job. Chekov took care of it with her usual aplomb, by telling the two girls that they were doing _such_ a good job that the Empress had personally requested they be transferred to the public rooms on the first floor, where impressions were of utmost importance and their skills could be put to better use.

The council elder then contacted two women, old friends of hers, to come work as Yuffie’s maids. Their own children were long grown and gone, and they knew the ins and outs of housekeeping as well as the complications of royal life, with Yuffie as the third Empress to take the throne in their lifetimes.

They were trustworthy, unflappable, and sensitive to her need for confidentiality. Once again, Chekov had come to her rescue. Yuffie started to tear up while hugging the woman in her private office.

“You just keep saving me and saving me. I feel like an idiot.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Yuffie. I told you, as long as I still draw breath I will be here to help you. Why should you feel like that?”

“Because I should be grown up enough to handle this shit on my own. Shouldn’t I?”

“Is that what you think?” she asked, pushing Yuffie back just enough so she could gently dab at the tears on the girl’s cheek. “You think that Godo, and your mother, and all the Empresses before her, had handled _everything_ on their own?”

“Um… yeah?”

She scoffed. “Your _father_. I swear to Leviathan, Yuffie, I loved the moron but sometimes I wanted to kick the shit out of him.”

Yuffie laughed out loud. “Well I know that feeling. But what was _your_ beef with him?”

Chekov sighed. “He gave you the impression that it was all just _so_ important and _difficult_ when you were still so little! I know he did it because he was concerned for you and he wanted you to take it seriously and succeed. But all he managed to do in the process was put you off taking the throne. He made you _hate_ the idea!” She shook her head. “And now here you are, thinking that the fate of an entire nation rests solely on your shoulders.”

She frowned. “But, Chekov… Wutai _is_ my responsibility, isn’t it?”

“Yes! It’s on your shoulders… and _my_ shoulders… and Shake’s and Oleg’s, and now Hiro’s, and your Mr. Valentine’s as well. All of Wutai has a part to play. Do you get my meaning, Yuffie?”

The young woman wiped the rest of the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “Yeah, I think so. Next time don’t be afraid to ask for help the moment I need it.”

“Yes. Good. Now, onto more important things.” Chekov took Yuffie’s hands in her own and squeezed them. Her sharp eyes crinkled sweetly as she smiled at the young woman. “Well? Are you happy with him? Is he attentive? Does he want children?”

 

+

 

Over the next seven months, Vincent and Yuffie’s relationship was not the only thing growing in Wutai.

The arms and legs were in full working mode, trying to keep up with all the contracts they had formed with outsiders the year before. Gaia was indeed hungry for decent, whole foods. By early summer, the ranchers and farmers had tripled production and were going to make a small fortune at harvest, further adding to the comeback status of Wutai as a major power on the Planet. They weren’t leaders in technology, nor did they care – but they were no longer being dismissed as a mere tourist trap. Yuffie was thrilled to get rid of _those_ words as a description for her country.

Everything was still in the growing pains stage. Agreements were left open to modifications. Rufus and Yuffie oversaw the negotiators. They spearheaded contracts and set things in motion in the beginning, then they helped figure out what worked and what didn’t, which kept things moving forward on a smooth course.

Vincent agreed to partially manage the biofuel contracts, as the idea had initially been his own, until someone more suited to the position could be assigned.

Wutai’s farmers had no intention of overusing their rich soil for such a thing as switchgrass, which was considered barely more than a weed, but they kept as many crops as necessary to keep themselves in generator fuel, as per the agreement with Shinra.

Because of their success and knowhow, however, they were hired out to train foreigners all over Gaia on how to start their own biofuel crops, and were paid very well to do it. The previously faked _Grasslands Farming Co-Ops_ had actually turned into a reality. Reeve came up with the cheesy tagline ‘Growing Grass on the Grasslands’, and Yuffie and Rufus had a good laugh over that one.

The upper third of Wutai continent had all that fantastic soil, and the arms and legs continued to put it to better use. The Southern-most end of Wutai was still off limits, though, with the rocky caves and their strange inhabitants best left alone. Not much was actually known about the monsters there, save they were very big and very shy, mostly nocturnal, and actually quite docile if encountered in the wild, which was rare. As long as you didn’t try to make contact with one, or start screaming and waving a weapon at them, they pretty much just stood still and stared at you for a bit before disappearing from view.

Their fierce appearance, however, suggested that if they decided to put you in your place, you’d be lucky to get away with your life.

The middle of Wutai was another story… one that Ginto Shinshuro was extremely interested in. Yuffie found out just how interested the General was in Wutai’s mid-section by way of an old friend.

Late one sunny afternoon in early June, she and Vincent were reading in the library on the second floor when a ninja appeared with a note. Vincent rose from his chair and took the offered note, and then huffed when he’d read it.

“What is it?” Yuffie asked. “Somebody have _another_ baby?” Her sarcastic remark was not too far from the truth. Tifa had just given birth to her and Cloud’s second child, another girl named Ariel, and Shera was pregnant again – with twins. “They’re squirtin’ puppies out like _water_ already,” she muttered to herself.

“No pregnancy announcements, unless Barret Wallace is here to sequester Marlene because she’s in trouble.”

“Oh man… shut _up_ , Vinnie. She may be headstrong and boy-crazy, but she’s _only_ fifteen!”

“Nevertheless, Yuffie, Barret is here to see you.”

She squeaked, then darted out of the library to greet her guest, with Vincent hot on her heels.

“Barret Wallace, as I live and breathe!” She jumped into the huge man’s arms and hugged him tight, their display safe from prying eyes.

“Hey, little girl!” He grinned at Yuffie, setting her back on her feet. “Man, your hair got all long again.”

“Well, that’s what happens when ya don’t cut it for a whole year,” she flirted, fingering her dark locks, now past her shoulder blades. “I didn’t expect to see you again until next month!”

“So, you two are planning to come this year’s Gathering? Vincent missed last year, an’ you missed two in a row, so that’ll make Tifa happy. Vincent,” he said, nodding with a smile as the gunslinger came up next to them. “Good to see you. You takin’ good care of the brat?”

“Rest assured. How are you, Barret? I trust all is well?”

“Mostly. Got some news for ya, though.”

“Hey, just a minute before news, bad or good! First let’s go to the banquet room, we’ll have some grub brought up!”

Over a lunch of stir-fry with grass-fed Wutai beef, their guest first made a request of Yuffie.

Shortly before the Geostigma crisis, Barret Wallace been desperate to find a way to make amends, and make a living, both at the same time. That hadn’t been easy, and Kadaj’s little reunion had put it all on hold. Afterwards, however, he found that little had changed to help his dilemma.

He and Cid had managed to get the oil well they had been looking into running again, and from that they had formed their own fairly lucrative business, Wallace & Highwind Oil.

Their biggest rival? Shinra, of course.

Barret had helped many people on Gaia continue to use their fuel-based technology, a thing that most of them were having trouble letting go of. In Barret’s mind, why should they? Life’s little conveniences were not just nice – in the modern world they were helpful.

But over time the same nagging question popped back in his head: _how can you consider yourself a man while you continue to take advantage of the Planet like this?_

The pollution factor of oil-based fuels was nasty enough, but the greediness aspect was worse. Even though oil production was not as immediately threatening to Gaia as Mako use had been, it was still, simply put, taking away and not giving back.

He and Cid both had issues with what they were doing. They could see the writing on the wall; in the long run, oil would prove to be a not so great solution. They were simply not that hungry for profit, either, and after all they had been through to save Gaia, it was making the two men feel like hypocrites.

The pioneering duo wanted to stay in the energy business, however, because they were _good_ at it. They didn’t know if biofuel was the final answer to Gaia’s energy crisis, but it was certainly a step in the right direction.

The problem was, they weren’t sure how to convert their business from drilling for oil to… growing stuff.

Yuffie pretty much spit out her iced tea with laughing.

“Haha! I _love_ it! You and Cid wanna be farmers! Fuck, _please_ take pictures of that!”

Vincent winced disgustedly and grabbed a linen napkin. He smacked it – gently, but still, it was _slapped_ – against Yuffie’s mouth, encouraging her to wipe the tea from her royal face. She giggled at him, and he huffed, rolling his eyes.

Barret did not miss the byplay and he grinned at them both. “Heh. That’s cute. You two – yeah, I get it. Congrats. ‘Bout time, Vince.”

The gunslinger blinked at him. He may have felt free expressing his love for Yuffie when he was _alone_ with her, but he was still on the fence with everyone else. Yuffie paused, her eyes going from Vincent to Barret and back again, then she snickered loudly behind the napkin. Vincent glared at her.

She cleared her throat and continued. “I’m sorry, Barret. Tell me what it is that you want.”

“Okay. Well, we jes’ heard it through the grapevine that Wutai was offering services that could help us in gettin’ things goin’.”

“We do indeed have such services Barret. All you need do is ask,” Vincent replied.

“An’ we can pay you upfront, ‘cuz you know, I got the gil set aside for it right now–”

“Shut your mouth, old man. You’ll pay for nothing,” Yuffie said then, her voice serious. “No member of Avalanche pays for _anything_ in Wutai.”

“Well… we’ll see, Yuffs. I got to consider my own pride on that one. Maybe… Maybe I can make a donation or something. Yer priests need some cash?”

“I told you, don’t wo-”

“That would be acceptable, Barret,” Vincent interjected, giving Yuffie a look. To Barret’s amazement she paused and then nodded at Vincent, smiling, and he continued. “I will get you in touch with Father Oleg.”

In the past, Yuffie would have been all over any of the men of Avalanche for having interrupted her like that, but she was beginning to understand that Vincent’s perspective, his _male_ perspective, sometimes saw important things that hers did not.

“In fact, if that’s what you came here for, we can have one of our instructors leave with you, today.”

Yuffie smiled, adding, “Yup. No problem.”

“Yeah, that’s one thing. But as I said I also got some news, and it may not be good.” The big man shifted uncomfortably in the fancy stuffed chair, which was a tad too small for his frame. “I found something weird on GaiaNet.”

He proceeded to tell them that he was still a member on a website that hosted listings for job opportunities specific to experienced oil drillers, just in case the well dried up. While he usually didn’t pay it much mind, he had been too lazy to unsubscribe his address and was still receiving notices. He’d been deleting a bunch of them when he saw one that caught his eye, and not in a good way.

“Some guy was looking for a driller who was good at getting around rock bed, which is not totally unheard of, but the address made me question it, ‘cuz it was nowhere near any rock bed on Gaia _I_ know of. So, I plugged the guy’s IP into a search engine, and that led to another ad on another website, and in _that_ one he, or she, hell, I don’t know, was lookin’ for an experienced materia user. That got my hackles raised, so I sent the info to Cid, who decided to trace it further.”

Vincent’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

“That address traces back to another, and then another, and then a third. Cid says that’s classic leapfroggin’ when someone is trying to hide an identity. That’s as far as he could get, so he sent everything on to that Shelke girl,” he said, looking at Yuffie. “And _she_ said the origin address came from somewhere in Wutai.”

Yuffie’s face went blank, and she raised her chin slightly. She looked at Vincent, who frowned thoughtfully.

“Yeah… I thought you might react that way.”

“Rock bed, huh?” Yuffie asked, thinking about the very middle of Wutai continent.

Vincent sighed. “Thank you, Barret. There is little we can do about such a thing, but for security’s sake I am grateful that you told us.”

In the end, Barret did not take the offered help back to Rocket Town with him. When Vincent suggested that he contact Rufus Shinra instead, he was shocked at first, but he saw reason quickly.

Vincent knew that Rufus was searching for a site closer to Wutai that was suitable for building a production plant specifically for his biofuel operation, and Rocket Town was a good choice. Within a few weeks, the two men formed an agreement with Shinra, and Wallace & Highwind Oil became Wallace & Highwind _Energy_. Rufus helped them convert their operation, and Cid and Barret never once had to put on overalls or drive a tractor. It turned out well for everyone but Yuffie, who was hoping to post pictures to all of their friends featuring the giant gun-armed man and the crusty old pilot trying to “farm and shit”.

The suspicious GaiaNet activity was still a problem, though. As far as Yuffie, Vincent, and their Wutai circle was concerned, it had the mark of Ginto Shinshuro all over it, but there simply wasn’t enough to go on. All they could do was to keep a close watch on things.

 

+

 

After a while, Vincent began to notice the main reason why most Wutai were happy, satisfied people. Their lives were a string of endless celebrations – holidays, anniversaries and parties, one after the other after the other.

The first anniversary of Yuffie’s marriage to Hiroyuki was coming up, and it was being celebrated with a summer festival, after Yuffie insisted it be informal and open to the public. She was still fighting with some of the council on the more stuffy protocol rules that she detested, especially the ones that involved elite dinners for rich patrons at the pagoda, requiring lavish clothing and prim behavior. She knew that Vincent secretly enjoyed it when she wore formalwear now and again, but Yuffie truly hated dressing up, almost as much as Hiro did.

Instead of her stoic bodyguard, it was her husband who accompanied her to the council meeting that morning. Hiro’s own stare was actually more menacing as Vincent’s, so it didn’t take much for her to get her way. For this celebration, she declared that as it was _their_ anniversary, _they_ would decide. The council demanded closed borders, but Yuffie stuck to her guns on keeping it informal.

Vincent was slightly disappointed, but since there was to be no formalwear at the actual festival, she modeled some of it for him the night before. Alone.

The day began with food, of course, then entertainment – bird of prey exhibitions, games, acrobats, and ninja skills as expected. Afterwards, the Empress and her Prince were expected to make the rounds among the many tents and stands featuring local goods and services that were for sale.

Vincent was on duty that day, trailing behind the Empress and the Prince at exactly three feet, as well as more ninja that both blended in with the crowd and acted as satellites to his own position. Neeri was thrilled to have her first-ever real bodyguard assignment – not only did she get to protect Yuffie, but she got to do so undercover. Wearing her costume from the tumbling exhibition earlier in the day, she took her orders from Vincent and pretended to be a street entertainer. On duty as one of the ninjas in the crowd, she followed Hiro and Yuffie as they moved from stand to stand.

As thrilled as Neeri was, Vincent was on edge. He’d felt that way since he’d woken up early that morning, much earlier than Yuffie, and he still didn’t feel quite right. When she pressed him for details, he cited that he’d had odd dreams the night before, and he could have sworn he’d seen Lucrecia in them.

That Lucrecia had been in his dreams didn’t seem to phase her one bit, but Yuffie was trying not to let his unease affect her attitude – anytime the villagers put that much effort into one of _her_ personal celebrations, she wanted them to know how honored she was. But she’d also been around Vincent Valentine and his super-senses too long to just blow it off when he felt tense about something he couldn’t put a name to.

Shortly before lunch was to be served, Yuffie had already racked up a nice bill collecting statues, tapestries and other locally created items to decorate the pagoda with. She insisted on visiting one more stand before lunch, even though all their mouths were watering and their stomachs were growling. The aroma of fried chicken and other delicious fare was already wafting through the grounds, making everyone dizzy with hunger and lax to pay attention.

“Just one more, please Hiro?” she dragged him by the hand into the front end of an open tent, where there were handmade baby items for sale. “My friend Shera would appreciate some of this stuff, I just know it.”

“As you wish,” he sighed, playing the part of the patient and indulgent husband. She ooh’d and aah’d at several blankets before picking up a silky crocheted one with yellow and white stripes and handing it to the artisan as her first purchase.

Standing behind his charges, Vincent heard a faint whine and he snapped his head to the right of them, just in time to see the arrow. He shoved Yuffie under the table filled with blankets before it could hit her. He grunted when it pierced him clean through the bicep of his right arm, sticking out from both sides of his muscle like a bizarre ornament. He turned his body to cover Yuffie’s more effectively, and in that same moment a second arrow whined through the air. With a sickening _thunk,_ it hit him in the back, piercing his right lung until the arrowhead was poking out of the front of his chest. He grunted again, this time painfully, and Yuffie paled at the sight of two arrows in his body. He gave her a look that all but said _don’t fucking move,_ and she managed to catch herself in time before she screamed out his name.

“Cover her,” Vincent rasped angrily as he stood up, and then all hell broke loose. The two ninjas that were flanking the gunslinger immediately jumped on top of Yuffie, shielding her body with their own. Patrons were screaming and running and sinking to the ground all around them.

The second arrow had come from a totally different direction, but they had both come from on high. Vincent and Hiro looked to the trees surrounding them.

Neeri ran up to them, terrified and amazed at the same time.

“Shouldn’t you lay down?” she asked Vincent, slightly in shock as she stared at the arrows sticking out of his body. Irritated, Hiro yanked on the girl’s arm and pulled her behind him, shielding her.

Vincent narrowed his eyes as he located the assassin who had shot the second arrow when they jumped from a high branch in a distant tree line.

“Dammit,” he cursed, “The other…”

But Hiro located that one, seeing the branches of a closer tree swaying when the person began to flee. _“I_ will get that one, you take the second,” Hiro muttered quickly.

“I’ll get ‘em!” Neeri announced, taking off in the direction of the first shooter. Hiroyuki reached out to stop her but the lithe girl was just too fast.

“Neeri!” shouted Hiro. “Get back here!”

Vincent moved to intercept, now fearing for Neeri’s safety, but Hiro stopped him.

“No! You are the only one who can catch the other. _Go!”_

The remaining Ninjas in the crowd added more shielding to Yuffie, even though she was desperate to see how badly Vincent was hurt and fought to free herself. But balled up on the ground as she was and covered with the steely bodies of her ninja, there was no way she could break through their forces.

Vincent eyed Neeri’s retreating form for just a moment longer, then took off after the second shooter.

 

+

 

Neeri caught up to the assassin first, with the Prince close behind her, but not close enough to stop her from engaging the target without his aide.

“Bastard!” the girl screamed, moving before thinking as she jumped on the person’s back. She grabbed them in a half nelson and wrapped her legs around their waist. Her ninja training kicked in, and she immediately assessed the person’s attributes – male, about five foot ten inches and one hundred and sixty pounds. Muscular, stronger than her, but definitely not as fast.

Her eagerness outweighed her skills, though, as the man dropped to the ground and pivoted, easily getting out of her hold. He yanked on her torso roughly with one hand and grabbed her by one ankle with the other. Twisting it violently, she cried out in pain as he wrenched her ankle so hard he nearly broke it.

Distracted, she lay beneath him and was too late to move away before he had strong fingers laced around her throat and began to squeeze the life out of her.

One hira-shuriken imbedded itself in the man’s collarbone, then two more followed, one in his arm and another in his thigh. He didn’t seem to notice, though, as he was intent on killing the wisp of a girl trapped between his legs. Hiro slammed into him so hard he lost his hold on the girl’s throat and flew backwards, slamming into the grass and mud, face down.

Hiro jumped on his back immediately, giving the man no time to think, and snapped his neck, then everything got quiet.

All he could hear was the sound of Neeri gasping and coughing behind him, and that was all he _needed_ to hear. Checking to make sure the assassin was dead beneath him, the rage cleared from his mind quickly, and he stood to face his little girl. Walking over to where she was trying to stand, Hiro grabbed Neeri’s arm and got her on her feet.

She coughed a few more times then gave him a sheepish look, but looked down instantly when she saw him pinning her with hot eyes. There was anger in them – anger directed at her.

“Leviathan’s fangs, girl! We needed him _alive!”_

In the eight years that Neeri had watched Hiroyuki court her mother, she had come to love and accept him as her own father. In all that time, she never heard him raise his voice, not even when he disciplined her… and she knew she could be a handful.

But he had never once looked at her _that_ way.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I-”

“ _Shut up._ Go get two more ninjas and tell them to come to me here.” The girl just looked at him, tears threatening. “Neeri! _Now_ , dammit!”

She bolted, albeit with a nasty limp but, she followed his instructions. When she was fully out of his sight, Hiro closed his eyes and tried not to picture the ligature marks on her thin neck. He said a silent prayer to Leviathan that he’d gotten there in time to save his daughter’s life.

 

+

 

Vincent took off after the second shooter, jumping and leaping over stands and around tree trunks, just like the old days. Neither the villagers nor the ninja had ever seen him do such a thing since he arrived in Wutai. The villagers were petrified as he soared and darted past them, inhumanly, while the ninja were astonished and impressed.

They couldn’t keep up though, even with his injuries, and he could not wait for them. Vincent could feel his wounds eating away at his strength, in ways that they never used to before Chaos had left him.

He only had so much time to catch the assassin before he collapsed, and he knew it.

He made it to the tree line and halted, listening. The shooters steps were light but they could not escape his hearing. It only took a split second before he was sure of the location.

Vincent leapt onto the nearest tree trunk, pushing himself off of it quickly and repeated the move. He ignored the pain as the arrows brushed and tangled in errant branches, and bounced from trunk to trunk until he was almost on top of the person.

He saw it was a woman, but that did nothing to deter his intent to tackle her.

What he _wanted_ to do was kill her, whoever she was, very badly, but he had to check his aggression – he knew interrogation was the smarter move at this point. If they could tie the actions of these two back to Shinshuro, the council would have enough to legally court-martial him.

He smiled darkly at the thought. The General would be forced to leave Wutai in shame, and then Vincent would be free to hunt him down and twist his head off.

The woman pivoted quickly when she knew he was about to land on top of her, but it was too late. He grabbed her by one leg with his human hand as he descended, and they landed on the forest floor with a loud thud, branches and leaves crunching beneath them.

She was fast, though, and agile, and she grunted as she rolled away him. Laying on her side, she kicked him in the arm where the arrow was still lodged half in, half out of the bicep.

The pain shot through him like glass shards and he actually saw spots before his eyes. It didn’t help matters any when her thick boot collided with the side of his jaw next, leaving him dazed.

Vincent had sustained other serious injuries since losing Chaos and the other two entities, so one would think he’d have learned by now. But he just couldn’t get it through his head that he was not able to withstand as much damage as before, evidenced by the fact that he stubbornly continued throwing himself into these situations.

The woman got to her knees and spat out some curse in Wutai, then pulled a lethal-looking blade from her belt. She raised her arms high above his body, intending to slam the knife into his heart. Shaking off the dizziness, and knowing he would probably not survive such a strike, Vincent managed to shift out the way just enough to avoid it.

Not far enough out of the way, though. She missed his heart but plunged the knife into his gut instead. It sank in, all the way to the hilt, and he felt the blade slicing through his intestines.

The pain was not as intense as he had expected it to be, but he attributed that to the fact that he was going into shock. He was losing a lot of blood, however, and more than he could probably afford. As he lay on the ground contemplating his weaknesses, she stood up quickly. Her shadow moved over him as she took off running.

He was losing consciousness, and Yuffie’s would-be assassin was _getting away._

Transforming was out of the question, so he pulled Cerberus out of its holster. “Fuck this,” he muttered, sitting up only as much as he needed to get the shot. “See how you like it.”

He fired once, directly at her retreating form. He intended to hit her leg, but… he ended up blowing a hole in the side of her waist the size of a grapefruit. The woman stumbled, screaming out just once, then dropped to the forest floor and stopped moving.

She was dead, or would be soon, and the last thing Vincent thought before he passed out was that hopefully Hiroyuki had been more successful in taking the other shooter alive.

 

+

 

When he woke up, Vincent was startled to find himself laying on soft grass, surrounded by many people talking urgently. Unsure of his surroundings, he flinched and tried to move away until he recognized Nadja leaning over him.

“Its all right, Vincent. You’re in Wutai. We’ve got you.”

“Yuf… The Empress?” He winced, realizing he almost broke protocol in public.

“Safe.”

“Neeri?” he grunted.

“Stupid, but alive.”

“The assassins…”

“You got one, Hiro got the other. Dead as doornails.”

“Both dead. That is… unfortunate.” His eyes rolled back into his head slightly. “The blade… arrows… get them out.”

“We _will_ , just as soon as I get you back to the clinic.”

“Nadja, _now.”_ Vincent said tightly. He was sweating and more pale than usual, if that was even possible.

The nurse didn’t know the grisly details about his past, but she knew enough. He had been tortured and experimented on, and no one who goes through something like that is fond of being vulnerable after an injury. He was on the verge of passing out, but he was fighting it to make sure she did as he told her to, so if there was some reason he _needed_ the foreign objects removed that quickly, she wasn’t going to argue with him.

She motioned for one of her technicians to give her a pair of surgical pliers. Between the two of them, they clipped the arrowheads from the metal shafts and then pulled the shafts from his body.

He grimaced again. “Knife.”

“I don’t want to do anymore damage until we’re–”

“Nadja, take the knife out,” came Yuffie’s quiet voice. “Just trust him.”

Vincent clenched his teeth and tried not to cry out as she slid the blade from his stomach, but it was clear he was having difficulty. Blood seeped out, at first abundant and fast, but then it began to slow. Yuffie tightened her hold on Hiroyuki’s arm, having no other acceptable _public_ outlet for her fear.

“We’re gonna get you to the clinic, now, Vincent. A surgeon is on his way.” Nadja leaned over and whispered the next words in his ear. “Yuffie is unharmed. She is surrounded by her ninja. Please don’t worry.”

As the team of medics carefully lifted her bodyguard onto the gurney, Yuffie was still trying to get her heart rate down, a fact that was embarrassing her to no end. But her more immediate concern was for Vincent.

She could tell, right before he passed out again, that her gunslinger’s mind was already busy coming up with every possible angle that would put the blame for what had just happened directly on _his_ shoulders.

 

+

 

“What…?”

Vincent woke up in what he knew to be the clinic in the pagoda, simply based on the odors and the worthless pain medication in his system. But he did not expect to find a sleeping Yuffie on top of him, sprawled across the blanket covering his hips.

“She should be upstairs in bed… getting a decent night’s sleep.”

“As if she could, with you down here.” Nadja’s voice was sarcastic as she came closer to him and started taking his vitals.

“Still…” he started, then closed his eyes and tried not to imagine what might have happened.

“Look, she pulled rank. I _told_ her to get the hell out of here, and she just barked at me to go fuck off.” Nadja adjusted his drip, grinning down at him. “In a _friendly_ way, of course.”

Vincent’s lips quirked. Nadja and Yuffie had become close over the last year. He was glad she had found a woman to befriend that was somewhat nearer to her own age. Chekov loved her, but she was definitely the mothering sort.

Vincent was even more grateful that Nadja, like Yuffie, was a tough cookie. She held no reservations about speaking her mind to the Empress whenever she damn well felt like it. They were cut from the same cloth, and it’d made for a strong friendship, something Yuffie needed desperately now that she couldn’t have a slumber party with Tifa at the drop of a hat.

“And your daughter?”

The nurse didn’t even wince at the mention of her only daughter’s name, completely hiding her anxiety – save the fact that Vincent could smell it on her plain as day. “She’s fine… after an intense lecture from Hiro, and a thorough yelling at from her Sensei, of course. She has a badly sprained ankle and a tender neck. But I think the verbal discipline that followed hurt more.”

Nadja pulled back the gauze on Vincent’s injuries to check them over. One by one, she saw that all three wounds were puckered with bright red skin at the entry – very angry-looking but without a doubt, _closed_. The little snips of black surgical thread that had formed the knots of his stitches were now just laying there, useless, sticking to the surface his skin. She plucked them away easily.

“Your skin has pretty much healed over… and the stitches have been pushed out of the incisions.”

“I know.”

“We opened you up, you know, to repair the damage to your lung and intestine, but by the time we got you back here your insides were already, um… back together.”

“It happens.”

“Are you still in pain?”

“Some.”

“Do you want anything for it?”

“It won’t have any effect.”

They probably didn’t need it, but procedures were procedures, so she cleaned and covered the wounds with fresh gauze anyway. Nadja frowned, shaking her head at how fast he was healing. Sighing at the mystery that was Vincent Valentine, she pulled the hospital blanket back up over his chest.

As she re-shelved a few supplies, she said, “Neeri learned a hard lesson about the dangers of spontaneous behavior today. She’s still reeling, of course, and thankfully Hiro didn’t turn her away when she needed to cry on his strong shoulders. I think she was more upset that he was _so_ angry with her, but truthfully he was just as shook up as she was… even though he refuses to let it show.” Nadja covered Yuffie up with a blanket and gathered her hair away from her face. “I expect she will harden up very soon, now,” the nurse admitted with a tired gaze.

“That is not a lesson I’d want my daughter to learn,” Vincent said.

“Me neither, Vincent. But, she’s has chosen the life of a ninja. She won’t survive it if she doesn’t face the harsh realities of violence. I don’t want to see my daughter jaded, but… if it means she will be better prepared to survive such encounters, so be it.”

“Yuffie has nicknamed you the ‘picture of practicality’,” he answered quietly, absently stroking her hair. “It fits.”

“Oh yeah? Well, when she wakes up you can tell her _my_ nickname for _her.”_

Vincent smiled softly. “Hn. Do I even have to guess?”

“I adore Yuffie, not just because we’re friends, but for everything she’s sacrificed for Wutai, and for all the ways that she has helped me and my family… but I’m fairly sure I’m not the first person to call her a _stubborn brat.”_

 

+

 

“Are you positive you’re all right?”

“Vincent, _I’m_ fine,” she said for what seemed like the twentieth time that night. He wasn’t putting forth his best effort at pillow talk. “Will you please stop? That was not my first assassination-attempt rodeo.”

At Nadja’s insistence, he spent one night and the next afternoon in the clinic. But after Vincent’s wounds magically healed over and he was up and moving without too much pain, the nurse had no good reason not to set him free.

Yuffie, however, made him spend the rest of the day in their room, resting and eating soup. He was annoyed because he wanted to confront Shinshuro about the previous day’s events, but she told him that Chekov was already preparing to do just that. The general would be summoned to the next council meeting for questioning; Vincent could glare at the man all he liked tomorrow.

For now, they were cuddled up in bed together. She knew he was still in some pain even though he was hiding it well, and all she wanted him to do was to get more sleep.

“Yes, you know the risks, Yuffie… but this was very close. There were warning signs and I should have been more aware–”

She put her fingertips against his lips, stopping him from finishing.

“What? Those dreams you had? Enough already. You aren’t to blame. _No one_ could have seen this coming.” Her words were stern, but still he exhaled, frowning and clearly dissatisfied. “Surviving life as a royal is one part calculated risk, one part luck. It was just bad luck, that’s all.” When he finally looked directly into her eyes, she still saw the love and concern there, but the rest of what was there was making her upset.

There it was, like it had never left: Patented Vincent Valentine Self-Loathing.

_You stubborn bastard._

Yuffie’s hands moved from his neck, the palm of one caressing the back of his upper arm while the other ghosted over his chest opposite his heart. She felt him stiffen slightly at the touch of her fingertips as her hand drifted down to his stomach where he’d been stabbed.

All three of the wounds had been jagged and nasty, but now she could barely tell he’d been hurt. If Chaos had still been inside of him, he never would have passed out. He’d have yanked out the arrows and knife while walking back to the festival, and would have healed up before he even got halfway there.

As it stood now he had healed much faster than if anyone else had sustained those injuries. The newly-knitted bicep, ribs and innards were just a bit tender. The skin was still pink, and there would be a slight scar where the arrowhead had protruded out of his chest, but what really bothered him was the fact that it had slowed him down.

“Seems to me _you_ came closer to dying than I did.”

He closed his eyes. The trajectory of that first arrow… had he been just one fraction of a second too late that afternoon, it would have wound up buried in Yuffie’s temple instead of his arm.

The image was making him ill and he couldn’t even bring himself to tell her how wrong she was. Oblivious to his thoughts, Yuffie shook her head and smiled softly. “There won’t be any changing your mind with this one, will there?”

One dark eyebrow cocked, as if to say _what do **you** think? _ Vincent raised his claw to Yuffie’s hairline and carefully brushed away a few dark strands that were plastered to her damp forehead.

“You almost…” he tried, then decided better of it. “You mean too much to me that I cannot just… let things like this _go_ ,” he whispered. The words were heartfelt, and they filled her with butterflies, but then he practically killed the moment with what he said next.

“My first concern must always be my oath to you.”

She frowned, clearly hearing all the other things that he hadn’t said out loud:

_I’ve fallen in love with you, and now my emotions have gotten the better of me. My indulgence has made me negligent. No more games. No more relaxation. Time to get serious. Time to be… forever on alert._

Yuffie sighed, truly tired. Vincent had come so far in just a short time, and the last thing she wanted was for him to go back to being wound up like a coil all day and all night… but he was obviously already there. She also knew, at least right then, that she was not going to convince him otherwise.

Which is why she didn’t say a word as he kissed her cheek then got out of bed. Feeling the chill instantly, Yuffie grabbed Vincent’s pillow and clutched it against her bare torso while giving him a reproachful look.

“Get some sleep, Yuffie,” he said, ignoring her bitter expression and stroking the side of her cheek. He slipped his yukata on, moved ‘his’ chair into position in front of the bed, and stayed there for the rest of the night – awake, alert, and angry.

But not nearly as angry as _she_ was.

 

+

 

They’d spent the better part of the next day not talking, and when they finally did, she yelled at him until he finally admitted that the assassination attempt hadn’t happened because he’d _‘allowed’_ it to.

After that, she did her best to get him to realize that he didn’t need to be on guard for the rest of their lives, either. This, as his arms were crossed and he frowned, keeping himself three feet away from her even though they were alone in her chambers at the time. So, she pulled out the big guns, and told him that if he didn’t stay in bed with her the following night, _all_ night, he could damn well stay out of her bed for good.

She almost got him to give in… but that proved to be an empty threat; it was obvious to him that she’d gotten used to their closeness and enjoyed the sex just as much as he did. When he called her on it, she stomped her foot and told him where he could put certain parts of his anatomy, and it wasn’t a pleasant suggestion.

In truth, he’d regretted it. Vincent had already decided that not being in bed with her at night, whether he was sleeping or not, just wasn’t going to work for him. Watching her like that, sitting in that damn chair all night… it had frustrated him enormously. It was bad enough that he wanted to feel her next to him and stubbornly refused to give in to that want.

The worst part was that it’d felt like they were going backwards, and he wasn’t having any of that.

They were still being prickly towards each other, though.

Now they were stalling, waiting in the back room of council chambers together. Yuffie was spying the same way she always did before a council meeting, peeping through the crack in the door while the council members slowly filed in. Ginto Shinshuro was going to be questioned today, and she was not really looking forward to it.

She sighed as she backed away from the door. Vincent turned his head to look at her when she remained silent, noting the nervousness in her face. Yuffie caught his penetrating eyes and smiled sadly, then she walked over to the small table where she had tossed her casual clothes after changing for the meeting.

“Are we still fighting?” she asked quietly, giving the trailing part of her elegant upsweep a final brushing.

“I’d rather it stopped.”

“Good, because fighting with you makes my stomach upset.”

They hadn’t touched each other all day, and he couldn’t take the anxiousness on her face any longer, not when he could so easily alleviate it. They were still in the private room, so no one could see them as of yet.

Vincent took the brush from her hands, and gently gathered her to him. She stiffened at first, which made him feel bad for having been cold to her, but then she relaxed to the point she was practically slumped against his chest.

“This isn’t going to go well,” she muttered, fisting his kosode in her cold hands.

“Probably not. No.”

Yuffie sighed. “I want to run away.”

“But you won’t,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “And you don’t have to. You have more supporters on the council… far more support in all of _Wutai_ , in fact, than he ever will.”

“That may be, but,” she said, then inhaled sharply. “The only person I really need at my back is you.”

He tilted her head back and searched her face. She looked nervous, but the Kisaragi determination was there as well.

“I will be there, my dear girl,” he said softly. “Always.”

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he straightened, lifting her feet from the floor. Yuffie rested her chin on his shoulder, hugging him tight.

“So no more of this crap where you watch me sleep in a chair. You hear me?”

He huffed, closing his eyes and smiling. “Yes, Empress.”

“Good.”

She kissed his cheek, and he turned his head quickly, suddenly wanting more than just a peck. Gently, he kissed her on the mouth, but she pulled back after a moment. She looked… hesitant.

He couldn’t really blame her after the day they’d had. But he wasn’t going to give up that easily. _Those words_ were rolling around in his muzzy brain as he stared at her sweet, _alive_ face; it might not have been fair to say it in that exact moment, but at least it was honest.

“I love you.”

She whimpered, and then he kissed her again, this time with more obvious intent. She clung to him, clearly wanting the moment to go on forever.

Vincent didn’t care if they strolled in late to this meeting with wrinkled clothing, suspiciously disheveled hair and flushed faces, and he was _trying_ not to give a damn about the stakes, either.

They had both been right. He did need to be more diligent in his service to her, but he couldn’t just go pretend like he wasn’t in love with her when they were alone. He’d been foolish to assume otherwise.

The kiss deepened and things started to warm up, but Vincent remembered that now was not the time. When he released her, he set her to her feet and tried to get his mind back on his job instead of her mouth.

Yuffie blushed and stepped back. Still holding his human hand in hers, they looked at each other for a long time.

“So,” she finally said, wiping her tingling lips with her fingertips and clearing her throat. “That contingency plan of yours… that no longer an option?”

“Yes… I meant it when I told you that I will not let this job destroy you. But you will not need a contingency plan today. Today, you stand and fight.”

She nodded and squeezed his hand, just as Chekov entered from the hallway.

“Oh, grand. You’ve finally stopped arguing,” she quipped, walking up to Yuffie and adjusting the girl’s kimono. Yuffie let go of Vincent’s hand and rolled her eyes over the woman’s fussing.

Vincent narrowed his eyes at Chekov. “Do you know of _everything_ that goes on in Wutai?”

“Yes, I do. It’s time to go, Yuffie. Let’s not keep the goddamn _guest of honor_ waiting.” The Council elder opened the door, and pointedly left it open as she strode into the main room.

“Give it up, Vincent. Chekov has eyes in places _unnatural,”_ she hissed, facing away from him.

“I’m beginning to see that,” he muttered.

 

+

 

“I had absolutely nothing to do with the recent assassination attempt on the Empress’ life. I am sure she is not so small-minded as to believe that she has so few opponents in Wutai that the finger of blame can _only_ be pointed at me.”

Ginto Shinshuro smiled his oily, lizard-like smile.

“I am sure that there are many in Wutai that desire to see the monarchy relinquish its ancient and outdated need for power.”

Yuffie bristled at his words. They sounded strikingly similar to the ones used by the woman that recently tried to poison her a year ago… after successfully poisoning her father.

“As opposed to what – your modern and technologically advanced need for power, General?” Surprisingly, the voice was Natalie Ulyanova’s, minute-manager and the quietest member of the council. She was sitting in her usual place, with nothing but five feet of air separating her body from the General’s deadly hands.

_Courage comes from surprising places_ , Yuffie thought.

“I fail to see the improvement. But then again, I have no problem with the way the Empress is running my country,” Natalie added.

“Rest assured, Miss Ulyanova, not everyone agrees with you.” He glared directly at the quiet woman in a way that let her know expressing her opinion so freely might not be good for her future.

Yuffie frowned as Natalie paled visibly.

“All right, that’s _enough_. We called you here just to question if you had any knowledge about the crime committed a few days ago, but you keep insisting we all face up to the fact that I supposedly have many, many opponents in Wutai… so just what the hell are you trying to get at?”

“Your Highness, I am here today as nothing more than a representative of The Movement.”

Several gasps were heard, followed by a long silence.

“You are admitting to being a supporter of that… _group?”_ Chekov asked, her eyes narrow with contempt.

“I am more than a supporter, Madam Chekov, I am a member.”

Yuffie took a long, quiet breath. It was a shocking statement to make, even if everyone knew it had to be true, but she felt strangely relieved that the truth had finally come out.

_Thank Gaia._

“And we demand our rightful place among the powers that run this country.”

_And away we go…_

She didn’t even have to turn around to know that Vincent had broken the three-foot rule and moved closer to her side.

Taking her time with a response, Yuffie refused to let Shinshuro think he was getting under her skin. She cleared her throat delicately, then stared at him as she spoke, slowly and calmly. “What exactly are you suggesting, General?”

He paused, gazing at Yuffie with a completely serious face.

“We think it’s about time that Wutai had a government, a _real_ government, capable of holding its own with our modern neighbors.” Shinshuro lifted his chin slightly. “A government that does not ultimately turn to an inexperienced _monarch_ for major decisions.”

Yuffie felt the heat in her chest simmering up to her brain. Not once had she ever stormed out of a council meeting, either in defeat or victory, and she was not about to start today. But his words had unleashed something inside of her, and she wouldn’t have been able to suppress her response even if he’d pointed a loaded gun to her head.

She stood up. Slapping her palms flat on the heavy table, she dropped her gaze and shot an icy glare at Shinshuro, completely unashamed that her behavior was channeling not only her father, but also every Empress that had come before her.

“Now you hear me, and you hear me good, you little prick. You started pushing me around before I even took the throne. You’ve been forceful, impudent, dishonest, manipulative and sneaky. And now, _today_ , you’ve all but admitted to running the goddamn _Movement_ right here, in front of myself and several other witnesses. I don’t think I need to tell you that in _some_ of our minds that was also seen as a confession to the murder Godo Kisaragi. But, we have no proof…” she said, a disgusted tone in her voice, “and we have no recourse. _Yet._ You are smart enough to only push me so far, and you hide your tracks using your lackeys when you need to. But, as to your request, I’m gonna tell you this just _one_ time…”

Vincent stood stock-still behind her as she stared her enemy down. He was silent and solid, like a trusty, familiar weapon at her back, ready to be unleashed at her command.

She felt heartened with his presence, and completely justified in her actions.

“If you think I am willingly going to give up the crown and watch Wutai suffer at the hands of a megalomaniac… you are _sadly_ mistaken.”

 

 

 

 

+

 

_tbc_

 

+

 

 


	2. The Summit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ++++++++ Please see disclaimer & story notes in chapter one ++++++++
> 
> Sorry for the long wait, but such is life. If interested, more info can be found in my DeviantArt journal.
> 
>  
> 
> This chappie was a struggle to hammer out. You will find it kinda boring if all you’re looking for is the juicy stuff, but it hadda get done, advancing the plot, all that.
> 
> Chapter 3, however, will be up fairly soon as it is nearly done, and it has already earned the M rating several times over… nudge nudge, wink wink, Say. No. More!
> 
>  
> 
> BTW, if you want a kinda-sorta alert from me as to when I update this fic, you’ll need a DeviantArt.com account (it’s free). Sign in and find my profile page by searching for ‘tinkerheck’ (my account name). Once there, click on the ‘watch’ button in the upper right hand corner, and be sure to check ‘journals & polls’.
> 
> I will post a journal entry every time I post a new chapter (and as far as I know) you will be prompted to check it out when you log into DevianArt.
> 
>  
> 
> My thanks to mihoyonagi, who has been of enormous help regarding the black holes in my head where canon is concerned. Her enthusiastic influence is seen, somewhere, someway, in this and just about every chapter, past and future.
> 
> I fly beta-less. Please forgive the typos.

 

 

+

 

**Empress & Concubine II**

**Chapter Two**

 

The Summit

+

 

“Yuffie, _slow down,”_ Vincent urged, gently grasping her upper arm. He pulled her back towards the couch, in an effort to get her out of arm’s reach of her mother’s antique glass bottles on the fireplace’s mantelshelf.

She’d been furious, stomping up to their room with her formal geta clacking loudly on the ancient polished stairs. They’d been on their way to retiring to her room after the tenth and final day of a very public, internationally arbitrated summit, convened to resolve Wutai’s civil unrest.

He knew Yuffie was angry, given that the negotiations hadn’t _quite_ borne out a huge win for Wutai – but she’d avoided a civil war and was able to keep slightly more than the entire northern half of the continent as land belonging to Wutai, so Vincent still felt that the royal house and all who supported it had come out on top. Considering the circumstances, no outcome could have been seen as a victory, but…

He never expected her to throw a tantrum. He was thankful that she’d at least had the presence of mind to wait until they were alone.

Vincent’s back had been to her when he’d locked the door to their suite. He actually started at the loud crash behind him, and discovered just how angry Yuffie was when he turned.

The hand-crafted bamboo wastebasket next to her writing desk had quickly been stomped to death. Blind with rage, Yuffie kicked it, sending it sailing across the room into a lamp. Then she shoved everything on the desk to the floor violently, including a fully-loaded ink well and her royal sealing wax set with it, Great Grandma Naya’s Leviathan stamp included. After she pounded her fists on the ancient desk, she screamed at the top of her lungs and charged towards the mantle… and that’s when Vincent had gone after her.

Yuffie ground out something unintelligible, fighting like hell to get out of his grasp.

“Breaking precious family heirlooms will do you no good,” he hissed, pulling her back with some force and depositing her roughly onto the couch. Vincent loomed above her, arms crossed. “Shall we visit the dojo? It might do you some good.”

_“Oh!”_ she barked, waving a hand at him and looking off to the side, embarrassed. “No! Well – _yeah_ , maybe. I’m just… ashamed of myself, that’s all.”

When it appeared that she was going to cooperate – at least, she probably would while he had her trapped – he dropped to one knee and his voice softened.

“Whatever for? You did well, Yuffie. _Wutai_ did well, we all did. This division was bound to happen one way or the other. Be grateful it happened with so little violence.”

“I know that. I _know–”_

Yuffie leaned over, palming her face and exhaling. The dojo was still a good idea, but perhaps tomorrow. She was clearly exhausted.

“Then why feel ashamed?” He took her hands from her face and made her look him in the eye. “Yuffie?”

She did look at him for a time, her thoughts clearly painful, before answering him.

“They _wanted_ to leave… So somewhere along the line I must have let them down. Right? I don’t know _how_ , or when. And I’m not talking about _him_ and his fucking military agenda. I’m talking about real, hardworking Wutains. Some of them are even families that are voluntarily splitting up, and that’s the worst part. All the people that are packing their bags, right now as we speak… I let ‘em down, Vinnie.”

She swallowed hard, tears not far off.

“I… failed.”

 

+ 

 

“You have one last request, General Shinshuro?”

Genie Milano, a civilian representative from Edge and owner of the largest clothing manufacturer on Gaia, had addressed Wutai’s former military leader as politely as she could mange, then took a sip of her tea hoping to stave off the laryngitis that was beginning to threaten.

It was the afternoon before Yuffie’s tirade. After a week and a half of long days and very few breaks – asking questions, arguing, and leaving much of Wutai’s future in the hands of outsiders – everyone in attendance was very tired.

Immediately after that fateful council meeting where Ginto Shinshuro announced his intentions to remove the royal house and restructure the political system that Wutai had employed for nearly a millennia, Yuffie had leapt into action. It had taken her just six days to arrange the summit, pulling out every favor she was owed in order to get an impartial panel of arbitrators to come and help them avoid a civil war. Between preparing for the summit itself and overseeing all the details involved in holding such a thing under the very roof that she called home, she was wearing herself out. Godo himself had led their country through a war and many battles, but no leader before Yuffie had gone through anything like _this_.

Although her staff and supporters had freely given their time and talents to help her as much as they could, she’d gotten very little sleep before the summit even started. Yet, on a steady diet of caffeine, she persevered and held her head high for the entire event, determined to get the very best outcome for her country. All Vincent could do was take in the stunning sight of Yuffie Kisaragi as she knuckled down and behaved like nothing _but_ an Empress for days on end.

He helped her where he was able to while she worked like a maniac to _‘do things properly’ –_ her own words. Right from the start she had been terrified that the rest of Gaia would not take their situation seriously – or worse, would be disinterested and turn their backs on Wutai – leaving her powerless to stop her country destroying itself from the inside out.

But volunteers from all over were anxious to help and signed up almost instantaneously, reassuring her as to Wutai’s newfound status as an important Planet player. Both she and Shinshuro had to comply with the rules as set up by the arbitration committee; neither of them were to be shown any favor, and both of them had to prove the legitimacy of their conditions and claims.

In the end, Shinshuro had gotten some of the lands that he’d asked for, and Yuffie was able to protect that which was most dear to Wutai. Both sides had to give some things up.

After Nanaki privately expressed his concern to Vincent about Shinshuro wanting to establish his new government so close to the firetail’s own home, Vincent himself came up with the idea that Yuffie plead to the arbitrators to have the southernmost section of the continent declared a neutral area, making it off-limits to _all_ human life – not simply Parties Kisaragi or Shinshuro. Yuffie had a feeling that if she hadn’t taken such a drastic step, the good General would have simply been granted that piece of land as well. He would’ve happily wiped out the entire population of creatures there, just to claim himself another coastline, not to mention frighteningly easy access to Cosmo Canyon.

Some things just shouldn’t be messed with as far as she was concerned, and those shy, formidable creatures were on the list. Better to lose a bit more land than allow Ginto the opportunity to mangle the Planet any further than he was already planning to.

She won that plea. Ginto and his followers were only granted lands in the lower half of Wutai, but he was forbidden to settle in the south where the cave monsters lived, including the crescent-shaped peninsula just off the continent’s tip.

It was no longer a secret that Ginto Shinshuro had made extensive plans to use the middle of the continent for drilling, in the hopes to turn Wutai into a formidable oil supplier for Gaia. He got his wish, obtaining land that the traditional people of Wutai, the _agricultural_ community, had little interest in.

But he still had one fight left, because he wanted to drill under the same name.

Shinshuro cleared his throat and re-arranged the notes on the table in front of him, smug as always as he prepared to give that one last request. “Yes, Miss Milano, I do. As to the designation of our new countries, might I suggest the fair and equal use of the name Wutai, as _Northern_ Wutai and _Southern_ Wu–”

_“Forget it,”_ Yuffie barked into her microphone at her table, interrupting the general. Then she looked around at some of the startled faces in the transformed banquet hall, which included camera operators from every major network on Gaia.

Not one moment of the summit had been held behind closed doors, as per the rules.

She took a breath, checked her attitude, and continued.

“General Shinshuro, respected arbitrators, honored witnesses. I am sure that a long and impassioned speech has been composed outlining an idea for how our soon to be separate countries should refer to themselves. However… please understand that when it comes to the name _Wutai_ , there is nothing for us to share. The name Wutai will only be used for _this_ government. It will only be used for _this_ land. If you want to be referred to as Wutai, then you’ll live in, and obey the laws of, _my_ country. Come up with any name you please, but no matter what you settle on… _Wutai_ , or any reference to her, is absolutely out of the question.”

There was no response.

“I will not capitulate on this,” she added quietly.

 

+

 

A peace treaty was signed, and the summit came to an end. All that was left to do was the sad business of registering who was staying in Wutai, and who was leaving.

The interviews were conducted by the summit committee and many more foreign volunteers. Reeve was among the group that handled the military. He registered a young soldier, a woman who was going with Shinshuro. She favored a government that encouraged profit at nearly any cost. She despised ‘dissidents’ such as homosexuals, magic-lovers, and artists, condsidering them to be ‘dangerous’ elements that had destroyed the fabric of Wutai society. It was a typical speech, one that he’d heard too many times that week, delivered by soldiers with clipped voices using nearly the same words each time.

One quarter of the military remained in Wutai – which surprised Yuffie, as she had no idea so many of them still supported her.

A Gold Saucer casino owner was in the group of volunteers recording the wishes of the Arms and Legs. One such interview was with a homemaker and mother of three. She would remain in Wutai, but she and her husband would divorce as he was going with Ginto. She was now faced with running the family farm alone. She knew a difficult life was ahead of her, but it was _her_ family’s farm, and her heart was in Wutai. She wasn’t going anywhere.

Her husband was an exception. Very few of Wutai’s Arms and Legs left.

Similar to that homemaker, more than a handful of couples were getting divorced because of the split. In that instance, the arbitration committee had to make a difficult decision. In the end they decreed if any underage children were involved, they would remain with whichever spouse had chosen to stay in Wutai. This had caused Yuffie more distress than losing real estate, but she accepted that a ruling simply had to made.

Genie Milano spoke to the ninja as a whole. They refused to be interviewed any other way. Not surprisingly, they were _all_ remaining with their Empress.

Tseng and Shera were also volunteers, and they registered the decisions of most of Wutai’s merchants. Most of them remained, their very livelihoods being rooted in the village. Those who left were given settlements at having to leave their shops behind, or in some cases, their shops _and_ their spouses.

The volunteer group that Shelke was in interviewed Father Oleg and the clergy. He was staying, as expected. Only a few of the priests were leaving behind the order, and their vows, in the process.

A Rocket Town volunteer interviewed Shinshuro’s doctor. He was actually on the fence before the summit, but he’d been offered a lucrative position with Ginto, so he decided to go with him in the end. Among Wutai’s professionals – medical personnel, teachers, that sort of ilk – about half of them left.

The council elders broke up exactly as expected – three left, leaving Chekov to hold the reigns. Only two other council members left. The rest remained with Yuffie.

In the end, Yuffie lost almost twenty-three percent of the entire Wutai population to Ginto Shinshuro. It wasn’t a huge amount of people, considering Wutai’s population was not terribly vast to begin with, but she felt every loss like a knife in her heart.

Her continent was now divided, with Yuffie having two very long coasts and the very best lands for livestock and farming. This included Mime, with the new border just Mime’s inlet.

Shinshuro now had claim to the hitherto unexploited oil fields in the continent’s rocky lower half. The south was forbidden to him, as it was to everyone. As a result, he’d only have access to the sea from the east and the west.

The summit was considered a success, and the arbitrators were as pleased as they could be, which admittedly wasn’t much. Shinshuro and his followers were given a month to pick up and leave Yuffie’s country, and she’d stay the hell out of his.

 

+

 

Now Vincent was getting upset – not at her, specifically, but he wanted her to quit with the self-blame. He’d seen enough of that for two lifetimes.

 “You did _not_ fail, Yuffie.” He stood up. “I’m going to order us some dinner and run you a bath. Can I count on you to be a good girl and not break anything else while I do this?”

She pursed her lips, and nodded, not making eye contact.

She took a hot bath while the food was being prepared. Vincent came in at one point just to check on her, but he stayed, using the excuse that he wanted to wash her hair after he saw her eyes drifting shut. It was amazing that she was still awake.

Her temper had cooled by the time dinner arrived, but she was still showing signs of needing a good long sleep.

“You’re going to bed after dinner.”

She didn’t respond at first, but eventually it registered that he had spoken. “What?”

“Sleep, Yuffie. You need a lot of it.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” She chewed and swallowed another bite of her chicken, then added, “I need a _break_ , too. I’m really looking forward to the gathering now.”

Vincent’s fork stopped in midair on the way to his mouth.

“You don’t actually think we are leaving Wutai, do you?”

She blinked at him. “Oh fuck _yes_ ‘cuz I’m going to the Avalanche gathering uh huh.”

“No, absolutely not. Between the assassination attempt and the split, you are not going anywhere.”

“But Vincent, the summit is over with! And you remember what Barret said… this’ll be the third year in a row I’ll have missed it!”

“I don’t give a damn. Shinshuro may have been ordered to migrate, but I don’t _trust_ _him_. You aren’t leaving Wutai for a good, long while, Empress. Too dangerous.”

“But–”

_“No.”_

She tossed her chopsticks on her plate, her appetite vaporized.

“Well, Vinnie! Please say ‘hi’ to all our friends, and do have a great time without me.” She pushed her chair out from behind her with enough force to knock it over and stomped into the bathroom. He heard her grab her toothbrush as she began going through the motions of getting ready for bed.

He sighed, and got up. After righting her chair, he moved to stand in the doorway of their bathroom. He watched, telling himself to be patient, as she shoved things about angrily.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I would never go to the gathering without you. I’m not leaving your side.” When she didn’t reply, he was forced to ask, “What is this about, really?”

She spat out the last of the toothpaste, shoved the brush into its holder and rinsed her mouth. “You’re all uptight again,” she barked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she pushed past him and moved towards the bed. “I thought you were _done_ with that shit!”

Yuffie got into bed, deliberately facing away from him.

“Yuffie, I’m only trying to–”

“Just shut up and let me adjust to this new imprisonment.”

Vincent closed his eyes and shook his head. They didn’t speak for the rest of the night.

 

+

 

When Vincent calmly reminded her over breakfast the next morning that they had promised never to go to bed angry, Yuffie didn’t even attempt to argue. She apologized immediately, and very meekly. He did so as well, but she was uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the day.

She remained quiet, in fact, during the entire month that Shinshuro’s exodus took place. Vincent tried a few times to get her to talk about it, but she refused, always stating that she was fine.

But he knew she was agitated. He didn’t actually think that they were in trouble as a couple, or that pushing her on speaking about it would tip the scales in that direction. They’d been through too much already; there was no way they were breaking up, not for _any_ reason. And he felt certain she’d get over the disappointment her divided country had left her with after the new borders were in place for a while and she’d gotten used to them. It was just going to take some time, and she had little other choice, after all.

He was wrong, on two counts: _why_ she was withdrawn, and assuming that she’d get past it.

A couple weeks after the population had begun to feel settled, Yuffie was participating in what was supposed to have been a leisurely afternoon walk through the village to see how things were progressing. She was accompanied by her husband, flanked by a solitary ninja and followed, of course, by her loyal bodyguard. She entered shops and tents, mingling and chatting easily with merchants, but to Vincent’s eyes she seemed distracted.  She seemed to be waiting for something.

That ‘something’ turned out to be nothing more than an opportune moment to pull a disappearing act.

They all panicked, Vincent included. But he swiftly realized that if she had been in honest trouble, it was not likely that they would have been able to take a woman capable of bellowing so loudly unnoticed. Back in the day he’d heard her yell, snore, ramble, and scream – and all within five hours of meeting her. But living with Yuffie for a mere eight months had given him new respect for the true strength of her lungs. They were in tip-top condition, even if her _ninja_ wasn’t.

She’d ditched him, the little brat. _Him._ He was now angrier with her than he’d ever been before, but he decided on saving that for later as the best course of action. He needed to _find_ her before he could put her in her place, after all.

He was also going to have to own up to the fact that no matter _why_ she’d done it, he was still terrified that she really would get hurt… or worse.

He let go of the rage and concentrated, honing in on those scents and sounds that he knew belonged only to Yuffie. It didn’t take him too long to track her down to where she was hiking in the woods, completely off any known trail and, so far, quite safe. She was headed in the general direction of the palace, in no hurry to get there while she admired the scenery.

What pissed him off even further, though, was the damn _humming_.

He came up behind her without making a sound, startling her out of her woolgathering. After she turned and yelped, he told her to keep moving through clenched teeth. His eyes were on fire, scaring her even further.

That wasn’t going to stop her trying to bitch at him however, and when she opened her mouth to protest, he put up a finger and strode forward, invading her personal space.

“Don’t even _think_ about defending your actions. Get back to the Pagoda. _Right now.”_

Vincent trailed the expected three feet behind Yuffie the entire way, enjoying the fact that despite her high and mighty footsteps, she was radiating incredible nervousness.

 

+

 

“Little girl, you cannot _do_ crap like that!”

Shake could yell pretty loud. Not as loud as Yuffie, but he was pretty good. Unfortunately the only thing she did in response was to roll her eyes.

“Empress. Once again we are faced with the impossible task of making you understand just how important you are to Wutai.”

That, from Hiroyuki. In his ‘stern’ voice. Yuffie gave him a blank stare.

The two men had been chastising her for over twenty minutes in the royal library, and they weren’t getting anywhere. Vincent had chosen to stay out of the conversation, glowering with his back planted against the wall near the door. The only door, making it the only escape. If Yuffie tried to pull another stunt she’d never get past him… this time.

Chekov was there as well, sitting across from Yuffie in a stuffed chair. Thus far, neither she nor Yuffie had uttered a single sound. Sensei and ninja tried to get Empress to speak up, but she just sat there with her arms crossed and her face stormy, looking for all of Gaia like a snotty schoolgirl.

“Oh fer – Chekov, _you_ deal with her!” Shake thundered. “The brat obviously don’t give a damn what _we_ got to say to her.”

Hiro looked from Shake to the councilwoman, his index finger brushing thoughtfully across his upper lip. He saw Chekov’s sharp eyes flicker to Vincent for a moment, then she went back to gazing at Yuffie.

“I agree, Madam,” Yuffie’s husband finally said. “Perhaps you can get through to her.”

Chekov glanced at _him_ , then, and he felt a chill go up his spine.

The older woman took a breath and leaned forward, draping her forearms over her knees and looking Yuffie in the eyes.

“I’m sure it’s no secret to you that these two men care about you a great deal, Yuffie. But I can see that their approach is falling on deaf ears.”

Yuffie crossed her legs as she stared at the rug, kicking her foot in the air, pretending like there was no one else in the room.

“And Vincent’s demeanor suggests he’s _waiting_ to have words with you.”

Yuffie’s chin went up, defiant, but still she would not look at Chekov.

“All right. So, let me ask you this. What if something _had_ happened to you?” Chekov’s voice, so unlike anything else in the room, was quiet and calm. Yuffie finally looked up from the spot on the rug she’d been fixated on and frowned, meeting Chekov’s eyes for the first time since she’d returned.

Yuffie gaped at what she saw.

“What if Vincent had gotten there too late?” The councilwoman’s eyes were shining with tears. “Do I _really_ need to tell you how devastated I’d be if I lost the closest thing to a child I’ve ever had?”

The Empress paused, her mouth opening and closing, until she finally found her voice.

“I wasn’t trying… I never _meant_ to…”

“No,” Chekov said sadly, leaning back. “But, you did.” Her disappointment in Yuffie was not lost on anyone in the room.

Yuffie’s lower lip quirked, and all the councilwoman did was shake her head, sighing.

Perhaps Hiro’s only weakness was that he didn’t like it when his womenfolk cried. He was just about to pull out a hanky and offer his wife some sympathy when he felt Shake’s iron grip on the shoulder of his silks. He got dragged out of the room without another word.

Yuffie covered her face with her hands in a useless attempt to hide her tears. Chekov rose, dignified, and moved to leave as well. Her voice was almost a whisper as she strode past Vincent. The man was still glaring at Yuffie.

“Finding out _why_ she did this is preferable to further reprimands.”

Chekov gave him a pointed look, but all he did was scowl at her.

 

+

 

When Vincent got Yuffie back up to their room, he stood with his arms crossed, staring at her from the middle of the room. She exhaled heavily and sat on the edge of their bed.

After a while she realized that he wasn’t even breathing. She looked up at him and had the nerve to shrug.

“What?” she said, haughtily.

“You have some nerve, Kisaragi. What the _fuck_ were you thinking – no, I take that back. Obviously you weren’t _thinking_ at all.”

Her lips formed a tight line across her face. “Look, Vinnie. Just calm down and let me explain.”

“Sounds like fun. Unfortunately, I am not interested in hearing anymore of your shit tonight.”

He undid the belt to his outer-kosode and ripped the garment off, tossing it over a chair. She stood up and turned on him them, clenching her fists at her sides to stop herself from pummeling him.

_“Dammit,_ will you at _least_ listen to me?!”

He waited a beat, then replied with acid in his voice.

“Actually, _no_. I’d rather not.”

Yuffie reared back a tiny bit, paling noticeably. She blinked at him, at first looking astonished… Then her features went very carefully _blank_.

Vincent’s mouth twitched in surprise.

_Oh, fuck. She picked that up from **me**. Here comes the silent treatment._

No sooner had he realized what she was about to do when Yuffie turned on her heel and marched into their bathroom. She slammed the door shut behind her, locking it immediately.

Vincent exhaled loudly, looking up at the ceiling. “Gaia, give me strength,” he muttered, too low for anyone else to hear. Walking over to the closed door, he said in a normal tone of voice, “Yuffie. Open up.”

Nothing.

Then, just a _bit_ louder, “Yuffie, open the door.”

He couldn’t even hear her breathing. Which meant she was probably holding her breath out of spite.

He knocked, politely. Nothing.

_“Yuffie.”_

He had to admit she was pretty good at this, given how mouthy she could be otherwise. Vincent tried clenching his jaw to stop the string of curse words that was threatening to leave his mouth. When that didn’t work, he pounded his fist on the door twice.

“I _will_ bust this door down if you do not open it, _now.”_

He heard a noise coming from the general area of the toilet, in what sounded like her arms crossing, then, more silence.

_“Yuffie Kisaragi open the goddamn_ _door!”_

After a beat, she thundered, “Go _fuck_ yourself, Valentine!”

He stalked away from the door and threw himself into one of the chairs by the hearth. She screamed at him again.

“Dickhead!”

There was only so much he could take before even The Mighty Valentine resorted to name-calling. _“Bitch,”_ he countered, but they could both tell from the forced sarcasm in his voice that he didn’t truly mean it.

Vincent removed his footwear in a huff, throwing the sandals and tabi across the room, and he didn’t give a damn where they wound up. He _hoped_ they landed on her writing desk so that she’d be forced to touch them.

He sat with his arms crossed, staring at the cold fireplace like it was an old, unbeatable enemy. He didn’t know how long he stayed like that – it felt like an hour, but was more likely ten minutes – before he finally heard Yuffie moving around in the bathroom.

He heard her sniff loudly before she blew her nose, then the toilet flushed. Yuffie ran the faucet a few times, opening and closing a cupboard with too much force. After a few more moments of shuffling about, she emerged, already in her pajamas and with her hair pulled back for sleeping. She made a beeline for their bed, muttering to herself with each step.

Yuffie flipped the covers back roughly, climbed in, covered up, and remained still with her back to the other half of the bed, just as she had done the night the summit came to a close.

Rolling his eyes, Vincent got up from the chair and rounded on her.

“If you want to go to bed mad again, _fine,”_ he said, pointing at her rudely. “But I’ll remind you again that we promised never to do tha–”

She screeched an expletive in ancient Wutai, hurting his ears, then sat up.

_“You_ don’t want to listen to me! How the fuck _else_ do you think this night is going to end if you won’t hear what I have to say? You… you _asshole!”_

She slammed her body back down against the mattress and pulled the covers up in a dramatic fashion. Vincent let go the breath he’d been holding.

“If all you are going to do is bite my head off, again, for wanting to keep you safe, _again_ … It’s an old speech, Yuffie, and I don’t want to hear it.”  

“Stop pretending like you can read my goddamn mind, _Vince_.” The Empress crossed her arms under the covers and refused to look at him while she spoke through clenched teeth. “You have _no fucking idea_ what I wanted to tell you.”

Vincent stood still for a few moments, working hard to contain his anger, because it was obvious _she_ wasn’t going to make an effort to do the same.

He remembered Chekov’s last words, and what she was expecting him to accomplish here. It sure as hell didn’t entail more screaming.

“Enough,” he said, moving to the bed and sitting down next to her. He pulled back the covers but she grabbed them and told him to _fuck off_ again, this time in Wutai.

“No, Yuffie, _enough.”_

He yanked the covers off of her and got his arms around her before she could scoot across the bed and out of his reach. He held onto her tight, not yelling, not saying a word. Yuffie bit out a few more expletives, absolutely filthy ones that he’d never heard her use before. But still he held onto her, silent, his arms like a vise, as she continued to struggle against him.

Finally she got it through her thick skull that he wasn’t going to let her get away. She was still breathing hard, and he continued to hold her until that slowed and he felt her body relax. She was tired, and after so many long days of craziness as they’d just had, she must have been close to being all out of fight.

“Tell me.”

Yuffie hung limp in Vincent’s arms, then her hands started snaking around his waist. She tensed again, but for a completely different reason this time, and he wasn’t at all surprised as he felt her begin to sob against him, her grip on his body getting tighter.

He let her cry some, then he quietly spoke near her ear.

“Will you tell me?”

She nodded, then finally, _finally_ it came out in a guilty whisper, as though she felt she had no right to feel it.

“I miss being free.”

 

+

While Yuffie cleaned off her face in the bathroom yet again, Vincent ordered some sweets and a pot of tea be brought up to their room. After changing into some light sleepwear, they were lounging in front of a dying fire and talking about the past.

 “Gaia, don’t you _miss_ it? You can’t tell me you _don’t_.”

He refilled her tea and she took the offered cup, smiling. After pouring some tea into his own cup, he answered, “Sometimes. But being solitary wasn’t all that great after I faced up to how lonely I really was.”

 She tilted her head. “Okay, I’ll grant you that. But, it worked for me _because_ no one cared where I was or what I was doing. It was a good time.”

“Now, hold on – I must take issue with that one,” he said, sitting down next to her on the couch.

Yuffie smiled. They were having a decent, civil discussion for the first time in weeks, filled with their usual disagreements and counterpoints – but without yelling, finger pointing or name calling. A few accusations, maybe, but nothing they couldn’t handle.

“That’s not true. We _did_ wonder where you were. Tifa was out of her mind sometimes, imagining the worst, wondering if you were safe, or even alive. Reeve worried when you weren’t on a mission, because you’d virtually drop out of his sight as well. We were _all_ concerned, Yuffie.”

She shrugged. _“You_ knew where I was, most of the time.”

“What, by tracing the location of your texts?” She smirked at him and he looked down into his teacup. “I admit that I actually did that. Every time. But that’s not an excuse for never responding.”

She snickered. “The excuse is that we were at _war,_ silly. You’d have lost.”

“Still not an excuse,” he muttered, taking a sip of his tea, relishing the heat. “Don’t you see what I was doing? Avalanche was wondering where you were all the time, while I was comforted by the fact that you were not dead, or hurt, simply by receiving your numerous texts. I never responded to you out of pride, and I never shared your texts with them as they worried. _That_ was selfish.”

“You got real concerned real quick when I stopped.”

“Yes, and I _still_ didn’t respond. Which was terrible of me.”

“Well, I wasn’t helping any either. Godo got sick and I was beginning to see my very real future, all up-close and personal-like. It was starting to freak me out.”

“You took it on head-first, as I recall. No giving up, no backing down.”

“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t freaking out. Because I _was,_ Vincent.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry I…”

She eyed him thoughtfully over the rim of her teacup.

“What? What are you sorry about?”

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you. After our fight on Tifa’s porch, I just… shut down again, in a way. I took on as much work as I could find, the very worst jobs Reeve could come up with, just to get my mind off of you. _Selfish_. You see?”

She laughed lightly. “I guess. Maybe you were just coping though, huh?”

He fell silent, so she continued.

“After the coronation, and daddy dying, I just went with it. Whatever it took, I did it. I didn’t even realize it was happening, and before I knew it I had settled into this… _role_. I had real responsibilities. I couldn’t get crazy with the ninja stuff anymore, couldn’t just disappear and stroll into Cosmo Canyon unannounced and alone.” She gave him a sly smile. “I couldn’t text a certain gunslinger out of the blue and ask him to come ravish me ‘cuz I was bored and thinking about his long legs again.”

He smiled, shaking his head. “You had Reno for that.”

“His legs aren’t as long as yours, dude.”

Feeling playful, she drummed against his thigh with the bottoms of her cold feet, until he swatted them away.

“Shiva’s tits, Vincent… I couldn’t even go to the toilet without being watched, and the worst part was that I _didn’t think anything about that was weird._ On top of everything else, I knew I’d lost most of my skills. Oh don’t get me wrong – I can still toss a fairly decent shuriken, but I’m talking ‘bout the _cool_ stuff, like moving through a crowd undetected.”

“Or scaling walls? Leaping across city rooftops?” he added thoughtfully.

_“Oh_ yeah! And melting into the shadows… I miss that shit, Vinnie.” He smirked at her. “Anyway, I felt a lot better after you took the oath, of course… and _way_ better after you got in my bed.”

“Me too,” he said gently.

She smiled, then shook her head.

“After the summit I began to question things again. Not us… just _me._ My abilities, and what I was really hoping to accomplish here. I got mad. And today… well, it kind of came to a head. I wanted to escape, so I decided to see if I _could_ still melt out of everyone’s sight. Just for a little while. I wanted that feeling again - like it didn’t matter where I was or what I was doing. I wasn’t anyone of consequence… not a former member of Avalanche, or the princess who lost her skills, or the leader who failed… the Empress of a big, giant, _broken_ country.”

When he looked at her she was staring at the fire, her face troubled again.

“Yuffie, Wutai is not broken.” He set down his cup and shifted to face her. “You are not at fault for the split, and… melting into a crowd is _not_ a skill that you need,” he said emphatically. But when she frowned harder, he amended that by saying, “At the present time,” and gave her knee a squeeze.

“I’m sorry, Vincent,” she said, stroking the back of his hand with her fingertips before grabbing it. “For running away. I really, _really_ am. And then for yelling at you. I know that all I should be thinking about right now is Wutai. We’ve got troubles enough without me being _selfish_ –”

Her words came to a sticky halt as she sucked in a harsh breath, then he heard a small whine in her throat, which only meant that she was trying really hard to not cry, and he felt terrible all over again.

_“Yuffie…”_ he whispered, pulling her thin, small frame into his arms. “Don’t be upset. I apologize as well. I said cruel things. I wouldn’t listen to you. And… I called you a nasty name. That wasn’t right.”

“Oh, I don’t give a damn about _that_. You can call me anything you want to, those’r just words. I was wrong, because I made you worry, and then I got mad at you… Well, for _being_ mad.” Yuffie pulled back to look him in the eye. She sniffed before adding, “You deserve to get as angry at me as much as anyone else does. I don’t want you feeling like you have to keep it in.”

When she wiped her runny nose on her arm, he winced. Vincent reached over and grabbed a box of tissues on the lamp table next to the couch. He pulled a thick stack out of the box and proceeded to clean her face, hands and forearm, tossing each tissue onto the floor as they got soiled.

“My dear girl, you are a complete _mess_ when you start crying,” he said, chuckling.

When he was satisfied that she was cleaned up enough, he pulled her close and they relaxed into the corner of the couch. “All right?” he asked, kissing her temple.

“Yeah. But I _mean_ it, Vinnie. No holding it in anymore when you get pissed off.” She sniffed. “Don’t wait till you explode, just let me have it. Okay?”

“Yes.”

She looked up, eying him critically. With a huff, he added, “I _promise_.”

She raised her eyebrows in disbelief, and he sighed, exasperated.

“Good Gods, woman. I give you my word of honor that I will yell my ass off at you anytime I damn well please.” He frowned. _“Satisfied?”_

She leaned into him and hid a watery smile against his chest.

 

+

 

“…With all that’s happened, I appreciate that you put your foot down with Yuffie regarding the annual Gathering that you and your Avalanche friends have. While that decision may have been poorly handled, as it caused _more_ problems, it was still the right thing to do.”

Vincent looked at Chekov, baffled. “How did _you_ know I told her we are not going?”

The Councilwoman smirked quietly behind a delicate porcelain cup, sipping her tea.

For as long as he could remember, everyone Vincent had ever known had been at least a bit intimidated by him, if not a lot, and that was even before the demons had been implanted. It’d happened when he was a _child_ , as he still remembered some of the looks his own parents had given him. Even Hojo had been put off, despite all his squawking and threats. Vincent’s presence unnerved the cocky scientist and the young Turk had known it.

But sitting there like a schoolboy in Madam Chekov’s cluttered, busy office, it suddenly occurred to him that she was the only human being on Gaia ever to break this streak. It had started with the very first time they’d met, _years_ previous. She had managed to stare him down, _and_ she’d been entirely polite while doing so.

After fourteen months in what was technically Chekov’s employ, one thing he knew for sure about the councilwoman was that she did not scare easily, and she certainly wasn’t afraid of _him_. It was only now that he realized she’d put him in exactly the place she’d wanted him to be without him even being aware of it.

In fact, she was a sneaky, talented, clever, confident woman. It was clear that her influence on Yuffie had been enormous – and fortunate, considering the girl had been left motherless at such a young age.

“You never mind that,” Chekov finally said, pulling him out of whatever reverie he was in. “I have called you here today to discuss what happened after Yuffie went AWOL on us, and to–”

“I did not discipline her for that – that was yourself, and Shake, and Hiro…” His voice trailed off as he withered slightly under her gaze.

“Could you _please_ be quiet until I am finished speaking?”

Vincent clammed up. He didn’t bother saying _‘my apologies’_ – thinking better of saying anything at all – and simply nodded.

“Thank you. Now. I knew that something was amiss between the two _before_ she gave you the slip. But when you remained perfectly still and silent in the back of the library while the rest of us berated her, frankly, I became worried–”

“Madam Chekov, I would never do anything to harm Yuffie – _ever_. I’m…”

He shut up again, rather pathetically, as she glared at him for interrupting her a second time.

“No one believes for a second that you would physically hurt Yuffie. For one thing, the ninjas _would_ kill you if you tried, even if you took most of them out in the process… but more importantly, they, like myself, understand the difference between people having a row and abuse.” She cleared her throat. “Between your silence, and that stormy expression you were sporting, I became worried that the two of you would have a bad argument over this, and unfortunately my fears were realized.”

She remained silent, and he took that for what it was: his turn to talk.

“I don’t mean any disrespect, but I must insist that my relationship with Yuffie remain private.”

“Oh, I do _too_. Definitely. It’s better for you, and it’s necessary for Yuffie’s safety and peace of mind.”

He tilted his head at her, ever so slightly.

“Then… why…?”

“When the two of you enter her bedchamber, close the door, then proceed to bellow at each other so loudly that it can be heard in the _corridor_ on the _second floor_ , it is time to re-think just how much effort you’re putting into keeping your love life… ‘private’.” She did air-quotes on the last word, and smirked at him unpleasantly. Vincent sighed, closing his eyes and palming his face.

“Yes… that’s about the reaction I expected from you.”

“Who heard us?” he muttered from behind his hands.

Chekov grinned at him, not bothering to hide that she was enjoying this. At least a little bit.

“Ah, well… to which time do you refer?”

He looked up at her and winced. _“Dammit.”_

“You think? Fortunately, it was never anyone who would use the information to their advantage, just the ninjas on guard… and then Nadja, once.” He swallowed, and she continued. “The clinic was empty that time because of the summit. So, you got _lucky.”_

“I am very sorry, Madam. And I’ll apologize to Nadja, and the guards, when you are done with me here.”

“That isn’t necessary.”

“I’ll do it anyway, and I’ll be more careful next time. Yuffie will as well; I’ll discuss this with her.”

Vincent froze for a moment, thinking about the fact that he had just promised Yuffie he’d go ahead and yell at her whenever he wanted.

_Fuck._

Chekov smiled, shaking her head sadly. “I’ve had my own share of lover’s spats, Vincent. I am not without sympathy. But rest assured… with both of your respective personalities, this will _not_ be the last fight.” He nodded, as he could not deny the truth in her words.

“Yelling will happen. Yelling is expected – it’s _fine_ , even. Just… try to yell _quieter_ next time, yes?”

“Yes. Yes, of course. Again, I am sorry.” He stood to go. “Was that everything?”

Chekov did not get up to shake his hand or bow. She didn’t even move.

“Sit down, young man,” she finally said. It took him less than a second to comply. “Now… Vincent. I am also not the type to drag a person into my office, scold them for their improper behavior, and then _not_ offer a suggestion.”

She eyed him critically, and Vincent narrowed his eyes.

“What exactly do you suggest?”

Chekov paused, smiling to herself.

 

+

 

Yuffie was startled awake by the insistent hands and stern voice of Vincent Valentine, in what she considered to be his ‘outdoor voice’.

“Vince, what the fuck? I’m _sleepin’_ here, man. It’s still fucking _dark_ out,” she bitched, rolling away from him and clutching his pillow, prepared to drift off again.

“I do not think so, my dear girl, now get your backside out of bed and get dressed. We have no time.”

She flipped her head back to where he was doing something next to their bed, and cracked open one eye. What she saw surprised her.

Vincent was dressed in his garb of old, the black leather and huge gold boots, all the way to the cloak and the headband. Cerberus was back in its old holster, firmly attached to Vincent’s long, leather-covered thigh. He was frantically stuffing clothing and water bottles into his pack. When she sat up, now fully awake, he leaned across to grab her empty backpack from off the floor and tossed it at her head. She caught it, paling.

“Get out of bed, Yuffie. Put on your gear and get your conformer, we leave in five minutes.”

Yuffie swallowed hard. “Oh, Gaia… what the hell _happened?_ Is it Shinshuro? Vincent, what’s happening?!” She threw off the covers and ignored her nudity, gathering her old clothes and rushing to do as she had been told.

“Please, Yuffie. Just get ready. Chekov is waiting for us downstairs. She has found help for us, but we must leave Wutai.” He closed his pack, tying the cords tight, then glanced over at her face. He looked possibly… slightly regretful? In that moment, she honestly couldn’t read him. “I’ll be downstairs getting more supplies.”

With that, he left, closing the door behind him.

Yuffie rushed to get dressed, throwing on canvas shorts and a long-sleeved sweater, sturdy boots, and her arm and leg braces for good measure. She quickly threw things in her pack, toothpaste, their toothbrushes – _because he **always** forgets his own_ – a bar of soap, 3 face towels, and about twenty changes of underwear, as well as several kunai and shuriken. Sealing it up tight, she stood, straightened her shoulders, and heaved the pack onto her back. Grabbing her conformer, she glanced at the clock next to their bed, finding it was the Gaia-forsaken hour of four-twenty-two in the morning.

Yuffie closed her eyes and exhaled, willing herself to calm down. She took one last look at the treasures above her bed before she ran out of the room that she and Vincent had shared for barely ten months.

She headed to the lower floor of the pagoda, taking the stairs as fast as her little legs could carry her. When she neared the bottom, she found Vincent exchanging some curt words with Chekov. Shake and Hiroyuki were there as well, looking up at her as she jumped down the last few steps.

“What the hell is going on?” she said anxiously.

“Vincent will explain everything to you later, sweetheart. You need to get going. I have procured two Chocobos, they are waiting for you at the top of the hill overlooking the royal cemetery.”

_Our hilltop,_ Yuffie thought, _Under the big tree. Our first **real** date._

_“Now,_ Yuffie. _Leave,”_ Chekov urged, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Vincent grabbed her hand, pulling her into the empty courtyard, but she pulled back and turned to face the people that she was about to leave behind.

“But…” she started, then shook her head.

“Empress,” said Hiroyuki, stoic as ever, “We will send for you when it is safe for you to return to Wutai.”

“Sensei,” she whined, hoping at least Shake would give her some insight.

“Trust us,” he added, “We can take care of things for now. It’ll be all right, kiddo.”

She winced, then moved away as Vincent tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her into the garden, winding her through the long path that led to their hilltop.

 

+

 

Of course it had all been a ruse, and if Yuffie had looked back just one more time before the garden path had swallowed them up, she might have at least grown suspicious when a fourth figure casually joined the others.

“You left the beasts where I told you to?” Chekov muttered to the man, a genial fellow about her age that owned and operated Wutai’s only remaining chocobo breeding ranch.

“Sure did, sweetie, they are tied up at the base of the big maple.”

Chekov turned to him, narrowing her eyes. “I have _told_ you, repeatedly, Lemski… _not_ to call me that.”

He laughed. “They are two of my finest, strongest Golds. They listen eagerly to orders and are very brave,” he said, proudly.

“And they can cross the channel at Mime?”

“With ease. Honestly, have I ever let you down, Svetlana?”

Chekov exhaled angrily, and he only laughed again.

The three of them finally looked at Hiroyuki, who was standing at the entryway to the courtyard, gazing at the spot where he had last seen his Empress and his friend.

“Hey… Hiro?”

The ninja turned back to face his master.

“I am sorry, Sensei, Madam. Are we _sure_ this is the right thing to do?”

“I know you are worried because you cannot see your Empress. But Yuffie could not be in better hands, yes? We all know that after… recent events.” Chekov sighed. “Yuffie needs to know that Wutai can at least function without her, at least for a short period of time. She runs the country, but if she doesn’t stop her constant worrying about it, she’s going to go mad.”

“Besides,” Shake added, “we all know she struggles daily with that wanderlust of hers. This little getaway is just what she needs. But,” Shake turned to Chekov, “do _you_ at least know where Valentine is taking her?”

“Know?” Chekov scoffed. “I _arranged_ it!”

“Oh, that reminds me, my bunny,” the rancher oozed, causing all three of them to turn and face him with varying degrees of disgust. “When are _we_ going to go on another lover’s holiday? It’s been years…”

Chekov muttered an obscenity at him and marched off down the hall, the smitten rancher hot on her heels. As the man’s soothing, friendly voice drifted off, Hiroyuki and Shake trailed behind them.

“We can trust this person?”

“Implicitly,” said Shake, the sarcastic smile refusing to leave his lips. “We were at school together. I’ve known Lemski for years, and – _obviously_ – so has our Councilwoman.”

They continued on, until Hiroyuki could no longer hold back the next question.

“So… her given name is Svetlana?” he asked of Shake, careful to keep his voice low. “That is an extremely pretty name.”

“Yeah, it is,” the Sensei answered, “And you’d do well not to ever use it.”

 

+

 

They were about a third of the way to Mime and the sun was beating down on the tops of their heads when Yuffie couldn’t take it anymore.

“Vinnie, what the hell?” she spat, lightly digging her heels into her chocobo’s ribs until it caught up to his own bird. “I know something is going on. And it’s got _nothing_ to do with Wutai. Now spill it.”

Vincent only smiled. It was a small smile, but he still attempted to hide it behind the collar of his cloak. It didn’t do any good, because Yuffie knew his eyes too well not to see the expression clearly.

“I frikkin’ _knew_ it! What are you guys up to?” she bellowed.

“Don’t be angry. We just wanted to give you a little adventure.” Vincent glanced at her, preparing himself for the barrage of vicious threats about what she was going to do to his person if they didn’t get _‘back to Wutai this instant’._

“Oh. Well… That’s okay then.” He sighed in relief, quietly. “But who exactly is ‘we’?”

“Madam Chekov suggested that you… that _we_ needed a vacation. She actually used the word ‘honeymoon’, but I didn’t think you’d find that–”

“Honeymoon is fine,” she quipped, interrupting him. “It’s just fine.”

He cocked an eyebrow, admiring the way her haughty ponytail swung back and forth as she cantered on ahead of him.

“I’m getting a bit queasy, and we’ll need to camp for the night so the birds can rest before we cross the channel. There’s a hilly spot about an hour south of here that’d do nicely,” she said, tossing her words over her shoulder to casually prove that she might just know where they were headed.

Yuffie and Vincent were secretly thrilled to be traveling the wilds together again, but they were both out of practice at being warrior-mercenaries for hire. Tired and hungry, they dismounted when they found Yuffie’s hilly spot shortly before sunset. The chocobos were led to a stream, then the giant birds were left to graze on their own in a meadow next to the campsite. Yuffie sat down for a bit with some water to get her nausea under control while Vincent got the tent set up.

They managed to catch a few trout and made some plain rice to go with the fish. The simple, non-spicy meal pacified Yuffie’s hunger without making the motion sickness after-affects worse, then they cleaned up and retired to their tent for the night.

Even though it was early August, typically the hottest month of the year in Wutai, autumn had begun announcing its approach with nights that were slowly getting colder – perfect for a good night’s sleep. But Yuffie could not stop chattering. For the first time in the history of their relationship they used one sleeping bag because they _wanted_ to, as opposed to having no choice in the matter – a topic that she couldn’t seem to stop giggling about.

“Who’da thought we’d both _willingly_ end up in the same bag, huh Vinnie? Same tent, sure, but not the same _bag.”_

“You did, and frequently, or so you’ve said.”   

“I only said I _fantasized_ about it,” she said around a jaw-splitting yawn. “I never really imagined it would happen.”

“Didn’t you? It’s not like you to have so little confidence.” He spooned up behind her, both of them too tired to do anything more than try and sleep. _“I_ thought it might happen.”

“You did not!”

“Yes I did.”

She scoffed. “ _Right_. When?”

He paused before answering. “The last time we were forced to share a sleeping bag out of necessity.”

She winced. “That was… That was when we ran into that hive of Forget-Me-Nots, right? I got stung pretty bad, so I must have missed something that night.” When he didn’t respond, she leaned back to look up at him. “What?” she asked coyly.

“You were sound asleep.”

“Puh-lease. I was _poisoned_. Unconscious. With _chills.”_

“Yes, and I was simply trying to keep you warm.”

“And _that’s_ when you thought about… Oh! _Ewww_ , you _pervert.”_ She giggled again, and her entire body shook against his.

“I’m only joking. Well… mostly. Let me just say this… When it comes to you, I have finally given in to the fact that I lack any suitable defense.”

She yawned again and he rubbed her tummy. “Vinnie… You’ve been secretly wanting my ass for a long time now. Am I right?”

He hesitated before answering, but she _was_ right. It served no purpose anymore, trying to maintain what she knew versus what she didn’t where he was concerned.

“A bit more than just your ass,” he muttered against her ear, making her laugh again. He quietly reveled in how much more relaxed she was – they _both_ were – now that they were away from Wutai and their big, important jobs.

Without the press of other people and all those responsibilities, it occurred to Vincent that he _had_ forgotten a lot about their previous lives – those days when they used to be on the road together so much. They got along well and took care of each other very easily.

He’d forgotten… that they had made a damn good team, even before the Empress and Bodyguard thing.

_So, what if our circumstances **had** been different? What if we had met as ‘normal’ people do? _

What if they had been contemporaries? He had to admit that she’d have made a great Turk. He was a different man then, too. One who, despite his father’s careful teachings, had carelessly nailed a few of his fellow female Turks, not to mention a lot of other women he’d met in the field.

As his co-worker, would he have tried to date Yuffie, or just fuck her?

Then again, they may not have shown the slightest interest in each other.

_Not likely. The attraction would have caught up to us eventually._

What if he’d met her before he met Lucrecia? What if he hadn’t been a freak sleeping in a coffin for three decades? What if the burden of the throne had not been a factor in her life, if he had been able to court her properly without having to deal with the critical eyes of their associates, if she wasn’t so crazy, if he wasn’t so Emo…

_Too many damn variables._ _If we hadn’t had to save the Planet, **twice** , we’d have probably been working on baby number five by now._

He smiled, his expression hidden, safe behind her pretty neck.

_Then again,_ he thought, _if all of that other stuff **hadn’t** happened, we never would have met._ _So… We **were** fortunate._

“Go to sleep, Yuffie. We have a long ride tomorrow.”

“Mm-hm,” she sighed, pressing his human hand to her chest and holding it possessively against her t-shirt. She pushed the back of her body more thoroughly against the front of his and snuggled deeper into the bag, safe in the circle of his arms, human and otherwise.

 

 

 

+

 

_tbc_

 

+

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ++++++++ notes ++++++++
> 
> Ahhh… the interesting twists & turns life can take us on. :)
> 
>  
> 
> Feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading.


	3. Honeymoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ++++++++ Please see disclaimer & story notes in chapter one ++++++++  
> My thanks to mihoyonagi. I’m not sure I used the canon stuff with complete accuracy, but oh well. I think it’s close enough.  
> Lots of dialogue & sex, and a bit of a fright scene that’s not canon, just made up by me.   
> Mind the rating, and enjoy! :)
> 
> I fly beta-less. Please forgive the typos.

  
+

 

**Empress & Concubine II**

**Chapter Three**

 

Honeymoon

+

 

 

 

 

Yuffie Kisaragi knew she was out of practice, but she never expected that kind, caring Reeve Tuesti would be the one to help make that fact more obvious.

Their loving but whacky puppet-boy friend was truly a man of mirth, having left a heavy antique lock on the front door of their destination. His intentions had been nothing but good; all he wanted to do was give the Empress a warm fuzzy by having to break into Shinra mansion.

But Vincent felt ripe after their long journey, and his immediate concerns included showering, shaving and changing into a fresh pair of silks. Food, sex and sleep – in precisely that order – were beginning to invade his thoughts as well, but right then he’d settle for freshening up.

He was just about ready to push Yuffie aside and destroy the lock with one swipe of his gauntlet, cute farce be damned, when a satisfying click announced her success, and he sighed in relief.

_“Finally.”_

Yuffie removed the lock and cracked the door open, but looked back at him before opening it any further. “Vincent… are you, uh, _sure…_ um, you know…”

“What I am is hungry and I want a bath, Yuffie.” She gave him a very concerned look. He frowned, staring down at her. “Oh, for the love… Am I  _what_ _?”_

“Well, I mean… are you gonna be all right, you know,  _staying_ here? With all the… scary history and painful memories… and all that… crap…”

Her question faded off when she glanced up at his face. He looked like he was about to send her to her room without dinner.

_“Yuffie…”_ he sighed, growing impatient. He kept his voice deliberately deadpan. “I'm a grown-ass man, this shit doesn't bother me.”

She let go of the heavy brass handle and turned to face him fully, with her mouth hanging open and her eyes lighting up happily _._

“Oh my  _gawd,_  Vincent! Did you totally just say  _grown-ass ma–”_

Vincent grabbed Yuffie’s upper arm and pulled her aside. He slammed his gauntlet against the massive wooden door and it flung open, then he shoved her through the doorway. Hard. 

Yuffie stumbled into the foyer of Shinra mansion laughing hysterically. Vincent curled his lip, stomping past her with their gear in hand, and headed straight for the dining room. When she began snorting from laughing so hard, he looked back at her with a sneer.

“Shut up, Yuffie.”

She covered her mouth and followed him into the dining room, but they both stopped in their tracks when they saw a gigantic fresh flower arrangement in the middle – watered, plump and beautiful, and obviously put there quite recently. Vincent dropped their bags on the ancient rug beneath his feet when he saw a hand-written note on the corner of the antique table.

Yuffie was already distracted learning the fragrances of the different varieties of flowers, so Vincent read the lengthy note over. When done, he huffed quietly to himself, then handed it to Yuffie.

“Looks like Reeve is not above teasing us for becoming romantically involved,” he sighed, making a beeline for the swinging door to the kitchen.

“Oh great. Now what?”

 

 

_My Dearest Yuffie & Vincent,_

_Welcome to your secret getaway! I was thrilled when Madam Chekov called and asked for my confidence in helping her with this little bit of deception. How intriguing. She and I are the only people aware that you are here. The rest of your associates in Wutai, as well as our mutual friends, are aware that you’re on holiday and safe, but they do not know the particulars._

_I suggest that while in Nibelheim you not advertise your presence and simply stay in. There is no TV, no landlines, and the small generators I had installed are being used for the appliances and some lighting. _

_Sorry about that. You’ll simply to find other ways to entertain yourselves._ ;)

_There is plenty of fresh feed and hay in the paddock for your chocobos, and a full cord of wood has been stacked at the back entrance, though I doubt you will need it in this heat._

_The mansion has been cleaned – or, at least, the rooms you are likely to be using have been cleaned. And when I say cleaned I mean updated to a degree and sanitized. For instance, there is a brand new bed in the master suite upstairs, because the one that was in there was… well, simply put, it was disgusting._

_Vincent, how on Gaia did you manage to live in this place all those years? Ah well, the past is the past._

_A new hot water heater and bathtub has been installed in the master bath as well, which I am sure you will make use of._

 

 

Yuffie snickered happily. Poor Old Vincent Valentine was just going to have to cope with _her_ preferred method of getting clean, and soak in a tub. Hopefully it was big enough for two.

 

 

_The fridge is stocked sufficient for two weeks, and I acquired half a case of that wonderfully ridiculous pink champagne that they serve at the Gold Saucer for you as well. They should be well-chilled by now! I expect it all – food & drink – to be gone before you leave. _

_We were saddened by the need for the recent summit, and felt for your distress, and we missed you both at this year’s Gathering. But, at least **I** know you are having a bit of fun now._

_Be well & have a nice stay. Your friend,_

_Reeve_

_P.S. Yuffie, by the way, I thought I saw a few Dorky Faces flitting about in the basement. I’ve no doubt you brought your conformer with you. Be a dear and dispatch them for me, would you? Thanks, ever so._

 

 

“Oh, Reeve! That was _so_ sweet of him!” Yuffie squealed. “Hey Vince,” she yelled, “He says I get to _kill_ shit–”

When she looked up from the note, Vincent was standing in the doorway with a sweating bottle of pink champagne in his gauntlet, two glasses in his right hand, and an evil little smile on his face.

“Bathtub. _Now.”_

_Niiice,_ she thought, as she latched onto the train of his cape and followed him upstairs. _Great minds **do** think alike!_

 

+

 

“You’re in your silks again already? Here I thought you’d be thrilled to be wearing your badass duds.”

“I still like my leather. But I like these better.”

“Me too,” she said under her breath, admiring the way the fabric clung to his perfectly sculpted backside when he moved past her. When he turned and caught her ogling, she simply shrugged, saying, “Vincent Valentine, you put the _fun_ in fundoshi.”

“Hn. Elegant, as ever.”

She curtsied clumsily and he shook his head.

Yuffie leaned on the kitchen counter as he pointed at the fridge. “Did you happen to find anything already made up in there while I shaved? I’m famished.”

“Sure! There’s some mako-green gelatin.”

Vincent grimaced when he opened the door and was faced with the bilious dessert.

“Reeve and his humor. I might have guessed.”

_“I’m_ not eating it, no matter how hungry I get. I already scarfed the cold pizza, sorry. But there’s a few pieces of fried chicken on the top shelf.”

“I doubt it will taste as good as Nadja’s.”

“Well, her father’s chickens _are_ the best in Wutai.” Yuffie’s arm snaked past him to grab a carrot. Not bothering to peel it, she bit the end off and hopped up on the counter. “Listen, eat up, cuz I wanna go find those Dorky Faces.”

Vincent stood back up to his full height as he removed the container with the chicken. He was still a good deal taller than Yuffie, even while she was sitting on a counter.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, speaking critically. “Eager to kill something, are we?”

“I just wanna see if I still _can.”_

“That ought to be entertaining.”

She pursed her lips and stared at him. “Nyuck. Nyuck. Nyuck,” she said flatly.

“I’ll be sure to bring Cerberus. No sense in both of us getting cursed.”

 

+

 

 “Widen your stance, Yuffie.”

She growled, or at least she attempted to. She was frustrated with his criticism, no matter – or perhaps _because of_ – how right he was. When another Dorky Face descended, she attempted a round-house kick, but there was not enough height in it to make contact, and she ended up slamming her foot into the stone wall of the tunnel they found the monsters in.

“Ow, shit, ow,” she mumbled, ducking just in time as the thing tried to cast _Silence_ on her.

Vincent rolled his eyes. “Your aim is all over the place. This is pathetic.”

There had been eight of them initially, and while Dorky Faces always traveled in packs, that was a few more than normal. It made Vincent even more suspicious that Reeve had somehow managed to plant them there solely for Yuffie’s pleasure.

She wasn’t having much fun, though, as she had been at it for twenty-seven minutes and only managed to kill one and subdue two others. By accident. 

He, on the other hand, was enjoying the show immensely.

She looked back at him was just about to tell him to go fuck himself, when one of the monsters spat a curse at her back. She gasped, then reached up to clasp a hand around her throat. Her eyes bugged out when she realized that the thing threw another _Silence_ at her, and this time it stuck.

 “Good Gods you’ve been rendered speechless,” Vincent said, without a trace of sympathy in his voice. “Whatever shall you do?”

The Dorky-face that’d hit her with the curse was one of the ones she had subdued, and it was hovering low in the tunnel, weakened and slightly disoriented. Unfortunately, as long as the thing was still intact, so was the curse, so she would not be speaking anytime soon. Yuffie exhaled, threatening Vincent with a tiny fist, which only made him chuckle.

“Hn.”

Exasperated with his standard response, she put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“You want I should fix it?” She tilted her head and rolled her eyes. “Well… I don’t know, Yuffie. Think of me in this situation… of how much I’d enjoy the _quiet_ during our holiday here.”

The Empress raised her delicate royal hand, went through the motions of clearing her throat, and rewarded him with an indecent Wutai hand gesture.

“Do you see what I mean? How _lovely_ not to hear the foul language that normally accompanies such a greeting,” he drawled.

He waited a beat, then removed Cerberus from its holster and took aim. Yuffie raised her eyebrows questioningly.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not using magic. They’ve already cast _Confuse_ on you three times. Any defense I toss at them now will end up on you.” She pursed her lips. He was right. Again.

“Unless… you _mean_ for me to have that much fun?”

Yuffie marched right up to him and tried to remove Cerberus from his hand.

“Don’t. You. _Dare,”_ he whispered threateningly.

She tried to whine, unable to form any actual sound, and pointed at the Dorky Faces wildly. She made shooting-gun gestures with her hands. He chuckled, then quickly shoved her out of harm’s way.

Seventeen seconds and six shots later, the only Dorky Face left was the one that had taken Yuffie’s power of speech. The tunnel fell deathly quiet and her ears were ringing from the hail of bullets. Vincent gave his beloved gun a tricky spin and re-holstered it. “That was fun. Let’s go visit the library next and read Hojo’s personal journals,” he said nonchalantly.

When he turned and walked out of the tunnel, Yuffie grabbed his arm and yanked hard. She looked up at him, pleading with her pretty eyes, and pointed frantically at the last Dorky Face.

Vincent looked at her, then at the monster, then back to her again, and shrugged. “Don’t worry. It will wear off.” Yuffie gaped at him, and he had the nerve to smile at her before adding, “Eventually.”

In general Vincent made very little noise when they had sex, save the expected grunts and whispers and the occasional uttering of her name. So with Yuffie’s ability to speak still on hold, they didn’t necessarily go to bed angry that night, but a very pissed-off Empress showed her bodyguard no mercy whatsoever as she fucked him blind in near-complete silence.

Unfortunately, her plan backfired. Vincent had clearly loved every second of his ‘punishment’. Heavy breathing and the delicious sounds of two bodies coming into contact was their only soundtrack, making it intense and memorable, if not a little strange.

Now Yuffie lay awake next to him, further incensed that he had the nerve to go and fall asleep afterwards. But when she felt her voice coming back at two in the morning, she left him there and snuck downstairs to get the most boring medical text she could find. Then she stood at the end of their bed and read it aloud at the top of her lungs until he was forced to get up and chase her out of the room.

 

+

 

When they woke up the following morning – well, _afternoon –_ Vincent mentioned that this was probably the closest thing to a honeymoon they were ever going to have, so any thoughts of Wutai or Shinshuro or Avalanche should be put on hold. Surprisingly, he was the first one to set their troubles aside, and he found he had to coax Yuffie a little further to do the same.

“Okay, okay. I’m _trying._ So, whaddya wanna do first?”

“Do?” he asked, making an effort not to sound indignant. Watching her naked body as she moved around the room, thoughts of sex began to take over his mind again. “I believe the customary activities for a honeymoon include bathing, sleeping, eating, drinking, and having sex. A lot of sex. Oh, and lounging about in between activities in order to recover. From the sex.”

She froze in the middle of sliding on a pair of shorts and blinked at him, grinning. For once, she was the one out of bed and getting dressed first. Vincent was still lying around, being funny and looking all… delicious.

“Vincent Valentine… have you _always_ had a sense of humor?”

He ignored her and sat up slightly, grabbing all the pillows and shoving them behind his back and head. She watched shamelessly as the muscles in his carved abdomen flexed.

_Damn,_ she thought, licking her lips. _I could do laundry on that thing._

Vincent settled against the pillows and exhaled deeply. He had every intention of staying put; he only wished his lazy brain could come up with a legitimate reason to get her back in bed without it being _too_ obvious that all he wanted to do was make love to her again.

“I have always had a sense of humor, I just tend to kept things to myself. For instance, when I first leapt from the coffin and got a good look at you all, I thought Cloud’s hair was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen.”

“Oh, Vinnie! _Burn!”_

Her voice was a little too gleeful for him not to take it further. “That was, until I saw _your_ outfit… then I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.”

She cleared her throat as she began looking for her shoes. “Gee, Vincent… I _could_ make a reference to vampirism right about now.”

She paused, waiting, but he had no comeback. He frowned. It was not the first verbal battle of wits she’d won during their getaway, and it annoyed him even further that he’d already begun keeping count.

Noticing his mood, she laughed, “Now now, Vinnie… don’t get fouled. I can’t help it I’m so darn quick on the uptake!” She bat her eyelashes at him.

Finding her shoes, Yuffie opened the top drawer of an elaborate dresser. She pulled out a fresh fundoushi and tossed it at Vincent’s head, snickering at his irritated expression when the winding silk fell away and draped itself all over his chest and lap as though he’d been toilet papered.

“Get dressed, baby.”

Disgruntled that she was forcing him out of bed, he rolled his eyes. He gave up on the idea of more sex… at least for the moment.

 

+

 

For the most part they decided to stay inside the mansion, and occasionally went outside for some fresh air – but never where they could be seen from the front gates, and they certainly didn’t venture into the village. They’d go for a walk in the over-grown backyard gardens or tend to the chocobos. Sometimes they took a nap under a tree. But the weather was still hot in Nibelheim, and for some reason the mansion was always cool.

Cold, even.

One morning, Vincent treated her to omelets for breakfast. As he started frying some bacon and chopping up other tasty ingredients, Yuffie became bored and decided to explore some of the rooms on the third floor that she’d never been in before. Unfortunately, she didn’t tell him where she’d gone, and after a while he grew worried and started looking for her.

Following her scent, his superior nose led him to the foot of a staircase on the second floor, tucked far off in a corner. You had to go out of your way to find it, and of course, Yuffie had found it.

His eyes drifted up to the top of the stairwell, and he felt a familiar sense of dread. It was dark and dismal, even in August, and any light at the top was sparse. His chest tightened as he cursed himself for being so careless – he’d forgotten to tell her to stay away from the upper floors.

There was nothing for it, however, she was definitely up there. He ran back to their room, grabbing both Cerberus and his Thunder materia, the very last orb in his possession. It wasn’t much, and he didn’t know how effective it would be if at all, but it would have to do.

Loading the orb into the materia slot, he ran back and mounted the stairs three at a time, hoping she had not yet stumbled upon the… oddity? He still didn’t know _what_ it was, or even what had caused it; all he knew is that it wasn’t corporeal and it had managed to give even _him_ the chills.

He found her in one of the back bedrooms – the one with that _thing_ in it.

“Dammit, woman,” he cursed. Still, he couldn’t fault her too much. It had probably drawn her into the room by using her curiosity against her, just as it had him, many years ago.

He’d never figured out what it was, but it was like a living shadow – not _pitch_ black like Nero’s oblivion, but still quite dark. The first time he encountered it, it had come out of a corner and moved towards him, trying to envelop his entire body. It was cold, but not terribly so, and it had moved slowly. He walked out of it over and over again easily enough, dark things being no stranger to him, but it moved with him every time until he finally just stepped out of the room. It hesitated at the door, then it sunk back into the corner it originally emanated from, and was gone.

Vincent had never been one to entertain the idea of spirits and hauntings, but this was once someone’s room, a child’s, and there wasn’t much else he could have called it.  

This situation was a bit different, though, as Yuffie had fallen victim to… whatever it was. She was standing still, unmoving and completely inside the thing. Her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were open. She didn’t look frightened, but she was frowning as though caught in the middle of a very strange thought.

“Yuffie?”

She didn’t respond. He reached into the shadow and grabbed her upper arm and tried to pull her to him, but she was glued to the spot like a marble statue. He tried to disrupt the shadow by stepping on the tail end of it where it emanated, from the same corner as years previous in fact, but it had no effect.

Yuffie didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, but as he didn’t know what was really happening to her, he had no intention of taking his time. He cocked Cerberus and fired away from Yuffie onto the back end of shadow using his thunder materia.

The magic crackled along the surface of the shadow, blue and vibrant at first, then it was simply absorbed.

His head snapped back to Yuffie’s face when she suddenly spoke. “No really it’s okay,” she said, her voice monotone. He was pretty sure she was speaking to _it,_ not him.

“Like hell it is,” he spat.

An idea struck. He kept his face on Yuffie, and fired a shot into the thing’s ‘corner’. Magic thundered in the room, just as the materia’s name implied, but it did no damage to the structure and simply dissipated.

The shadow, however, shivered violently in reaction.

“We understand each other. Good. Now, _let her go,”_ Vincent growled, and fired Cerberus again, twice more in the same spot.

The thing got the point and quickly skittered off of Yuffie with a high-pitched wail like nothing his ears had ever heard before. It appeared to get sucked into the corner, and then it completely disappeared.

Yuffie wavered on her feet and Vincent lunged for her, pulling her against his chest and wrapping his left arm around her protectively. She muttered his name and blinked up at him until she finally focused on his face.

“What was…”

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” He sounded relieved, like he was trying to convince himself rather than her. “We should leave.”

She gasped suddenly, then looked over at the corner. “Oh, man! I’m _sorry,”_ she yelped at it, sounding truly upset.

Vincent glanced at it as well, wary the thing might retaliate. He noticed a dark spot where it had retreated, looking remarkably like a large bloodstain, and his mind worked furiously trying to remember whether or not it had always been there.

“He was just worried you might be hurting me, honest!” Yuffie pleaded with it.

Vincent huffed and pulled her out of the room and back downstairs before she could coax the thing back out and become best friends with it.

 

+

 

“Reeve would want to know what happened.”

“I’ll tell him, but you should know it’s not the first time. I’m sorry, Yuffie. It completely slipped my mind to tell you to stay away from that part of the mansion.”

“No harm done.”

She slipped out of her hoodie and tossed it on the back of a dining room chair. When she said the bacon smelled really good, he remembered breakfast and went back into the kitchen to resume making their omelets. When Yuffie bolted hers down in record time, he just laughed and made her another one. After breakfast, they were sitting at the table and relaxing with some tea, chatting about the phenomena.

“That room belonged to a kid, did you notice?”

“Years before, yes. That’s always been a bother to me.”

“It’s happened to you before, then?”

“Yes, but I’m not susceptible to whatever power it has. I find it chilling, but it cannot hold me captive like it did you.”

“Let me guess – you’re just too dark already?” she asked quietly.

“Probably.” He glanced at her. “Some things remain, after all.”

She nodded. “I don’t think it would have actually hurt me. It felt like it was lonely. Like it just wanted to _keep_ me with it.”

“You’re taken.”

Yuffie glanced up from her teacup to find he was staring at her, a sharp look in his eyes. She smiled before continuing. “I gotta know now, though. Maybe we could try to figure out what it was?”

“You are _not_ going back up there. We have no idea what it did to you. What if there are long-term effects from it… as with Nero?” He added the last part quietly.

“Oh, Vinnie… _no_ ,” she said quickly, taking his hand. “I’m positive it didn’t do anything like _that_. But yeah, I don’t want to take a second ride, ‘cuz it _was_ kinda creepy. I was thinking more like… maybe the lab has something?”

He shrugged. “Could be. But that room is a disaster right now. All the research and books are scattered on the floors and tables.” She eyed him critically. “I threw a tantrum a few years back. Now everything’s hopelessly out of order.”

“Nothing is ever hopeless,” she grinned, pulling on his hand. “Let’s go look!”

 

+

 

“Is that table where…” Her voice drifted off, as she pointed at it.

“It’s _one_ of them.”

He wasn’t upset that she’d asked, but he didn’t offer her any other information

They both gathered up a pile of notebooks and attempted to find something relevant to the upstairs bedroom in the research. After awhile they realized it was going to take more time than they were willing to put in, but since they had already gotten a good start they finished cleaning up and cataloging everything, putting the notes and books into some sort of order onto the shelves. At least Reeve would appreciate it.

They worked in comfortable silence, the occasional question punctuating the white noise of the lab’s old, harsh lighting system. Yuffie looked over at Vincent when he fell quiet for too long, and noticed he was staring at the shelf in front of him as though he was looking _through_ it.

“Hey… You okay?” 

He blinked, eventually looking over at her. Shaking his head, he simply shrugged off whatever it was that had clouded his thoughts.

“Yes. It was just a memory – well, not even that. More like an _echo_ of a memory. I don’t have them nearly as often as I used to… and when I do they go away quickly.” Vincent shelved another book. “Faster and faster, these days.”

She turned back to her own shelf, and whispered _damn straight_ under her breath, very smugly, thinking he hadn’t heard her. He just smiled, tiny and satisfied.

 “Hey Vinnie, how many times have you cheated death?”

His eyebrow quirked. “That’s a good question. I’d really have to think about it, but I’m afraid I’d never be able to remember every incident. I can tell you the big ones, obviously, but you already know about those.”

“Hojo, Sephiroth–”

“That wasn’t really my fight. Either time.”

“Okay, yeah, you’re right. Wasn’t _mine,_ either,” she muttered, clearing her throat. “So… Hojo, Rosso the Crimson, _Weiss the Immaculate,_ ” her voice was filled with derision on the last one. “Gawd, who can refer to themselves like that without giggling?! That’s like naming yourself _Vincent the Stoic_ , or…”

“Yuffie the Embraceable?” he offered, face completely blank. Except for his eyes - his eyes gave it all way.

She stared at him, blushing and trying to hide a grin. “I thought you were gonna say _theif_ or _brat_ … this is a much nicer name.”

“I won’t use it in public.”

“That’d probably be best,” she sighed. “Okay, so all those guys, plus Omega. Those’r all the big ones, right?”

“Yes. Other than that, there have been some small battles over the years, with monsters or men. A few of those became close calls.”

“Like my recent assassination attempt.”

“…Yes.”

She put away the last book in her stack, then turned to face him. “Where did that scar on your hip come from?”

His hand halted in mid-air for a moment. “Why?” he asked, and resumed shelving a book.

“Look, Vinnie. I know you don’t heal like you used to anymore. Any scars you have now can only have happened after Chaos was released. I know about the ones on your chest, arm and gut, from my would-be assassin. I was _there_ , remember? The only other big one is on your hip, so it must’ve happened after Chaos but _before_ you came to Wutai.”

He didn’t reply, other than a slow nod.

“I been _there_ too, mister. At _very_ close range. Close enough that I’ve found all three freckles!” Her voice grew flirtatious and she gave him a challenging look. Vincent blushed, just faintly. “I can tell it was a pretty nasty wound. So _spill it,_ gunslinger.”

“Before I tell you,” he began, “You have to promise me that you won’t… freak out.”

She frowned thoughtfully. _“Ooooh,_ this sounds interesting.”

He stopped, glaring at her. “Promise me.”

“Vincent. I promise.” She crossed her heart and held up her palm. “Totally.”

“Yeah… Right.” He shook his head and picked up another stack of books. “I do not know why we are doing this. I admit that the manor was probably the safest place to send us for some privacy, but look at what happened to you this morning. This entire structure ought to be condemned and razed.”

She counted off on her fingers. “Cataloging the research in here was your idea, you got upstairs and took care of it, I’m none the worse for wear, stop changing the subject, tell me where that awesome scar came from.”

Yuffie crossed her arms defiantly.

Sighing, he gave in. “The other night… when we were talking in front of the fire back home, I’d told you that I’d grown despondent after our fight on Tifa’s porch.”

“You said you took all those tough jobs from Reeve to distract– Oh _man_ , Vincent! What did you do?!”

“There was to be no freaking out,” he reminded her sternly.

She winced. “Sorry. Do continue, Mister Valentine.” Yuffie bowed lavishly at him, and Vincent shook his head.

“Cloud, Tseng and I were sent to deal with a group of mercenaries hiding out in Fort Condor. They’d pilfered a loading dock in Junon and had gotten away with a large amount of Shinra medical supplies - supplies that were destined for charities. Rufus was beside himself with anger. We were told to reacquire the goods, and… _get rid_ of the men who had stolen them.”

“Ew,” she said, curling her lip.

“Yes. But trust me when I tell you that these men had a long and loathsome history. They were _not_ good people.”

“So what happened?”

“We were not patient enough. Unanimously, the three of us decided to forgo Reeve’s plan of disguising ourselves and pretending to be buyers from the black market, and we simply began taking them out quietly. But there were more of them than was anticipated in the intel, and the fighting quickly became heavy. While engaged with one of them hand-to-hand, I was jumped by two others. I would have defeated all three of them easily enough, but a fourth man recognized me. While I was busy fighting, _he_ shot me in the hip… with a rather large gun.” She gaped. “He took out one of his own comrades in the process. As I said, _not_ good men.”

“Oh, please tell me he didn’t get away. You guys killed them _all_ , right?”

“Oh yes. Cloud became a bit erratic when he saw me bleeding to death on the floor. This ended the fight.” He cleared his throat. “Tseng did what he could to help me, as we were trying not to use magic. But whatever healing factor I do have left just wasn’t cutting it. The damage was extensive, and I passed out. Cloud had to cast _Cure 2_ several times just to get the gaping hole in my body to stop gushing enough so that I could be carried onto the Shinra helicopter that finally arrived. I was in an induced coma in a WRO lab for eight days, while they fixed my broken body – artificial hip, removal of shredded sections in both intestine, adhering of cloned muscle tissues and temporary artificial skin bandages… there was blood loss as well, but that part I had to overcome on my own, as there is no longer a match for me anywhere on the Planet. In fact, I was lucky everything else took.”

When he realized she was not talking, he looked over at her. He found her horrified expression painful to look at, so he decided to skip anymore of _those_ kinds of details.

“Reno was piloting the chopper, by the way.”

“I never heard a word about it… not from _any_ of those guys.” She looked appalled.

“That’s because I made them promise to keep it quiet where our mutual friends were concerned… so that you wouldn’t find out.”

“Vincent! How _could_ you?!”

“I thought our friendship was in serious trouble, remember? And you had far too much to think about already, with Wutai, and the upcoming coronation… and Godo’s health. I didn’t want to compound your problems any further with worry over me and what had happened between us.”

“That’s… Oh, I’m kinda pissed now. You _bastard_ ,” she said, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“It’s over with. It doesn’t matter now.”

“I’m gonna kick their asses the next time I see them. _All_ of ‘em.”

“Well, Reno did warn me that if you ever _did_ find out about it, I’d be on my own dealing with _Fury à la Yuffie._ So maybe you can forgive them and just focus all that rage on me.” He had a suggestive look on his face, but she chose to ignore it.

“Still. I would’ve come to you. You _know_ that.”

“I know, and that’s why I did it.”

_“Vincent.”_

He laughed quietly. “I thought the idea is for me to take care of you, not the other way around.” His hands were empty again and he leaned on the shelf and crossed his arms. The movement caused his t-shirt to ride up slightly and she stared at the trail of crisp black hairs below his belly button.

_Treasure Trail,_ she thought saucily. Her mind flashed back to the night she got a clear view of it when she was trying to sneak into Reno’s room. _I should have stayed where I was and jumped **him**._

“All right. How many times have _you_ cheated death?”

He stilled, waiting for something along the lines of  _‘oh two, maybe three’_ to come out of her mouth. She shrugged and hopped up on the table, grabbing an errant notebook and flipping through its yellowed pages.

“Thirty-seven.”

_“What?!”_

She glanced up to see he was literally gaping at her, and snickered.

“You’re lying.”

She shook her head, looking back down at the notebook.

“You’re _exaggerating_ at the least.”

“Nope.” She flipped the pages even though she wasn’t really reading anything. He growled as he ripped the notebook from her hands and tossed it across the room.

“Sheesh! I wouldn’ta told you if I knew you were gonna get mad!”

_“I’m not–”_ He closed his eyes and mentally told himself to lower his voice. “I am _not_ angry.”

“Then what is this? Are you _jealous_?” There was a twinkle in her eyes.

He exhaled, long and slow, and stepped forward to push her knees apart. He placed his human hand on her face, searching her eyes.

“You’re serious.”

“Yeah. I’ve counted them. Mind you, it was never anything as drastic as _this,_ ” she said, reaching a hand down between them to stroke the scar on his hip through his sweat pants. “A little blood… bites and scrapes and _stings,_ ” she grinned, continuing to rub his scar and watching his face with interest. “A lot of stitches. Many sprained ankles. A broken wrist… A fake hymen.” She grinned. Her hand moved inward past his scar, a little too close to other things. “My body has never been harmed to the point of imminent death, no - but in thirty-seven separate situations I have cheated death.”

He closed his eyes, trying to keep his body under his own control.

“Name _one.”_

“The evening after my coronation, when I was dangling outside of your window and you pulled me back into your room.” Her hand drifted further. “Come to think of it… you were wearing this same pair of sweats, weren’t you?”

He frowned, eyes still closed. That one was, technically, _his_ fault. “Don’t remind me. A _different_ one, if you please.”

“All right. I almost got swallowed whole by a huge water monster in the forbidden lake that’s half a day’s walk from the pagoda.”

His eyes snapped open. “How old were…”

“Hmm… nine, I think.” She looked up casually, thinking and touching at the same time.  

_Oh Gaia… her **hand** …_

“Daddy had taken me swimming. No one in Wutai had any idea the thing was in there. It rose up behind me as I was swimming back to shore, and I didn’t even know it,” she said, as she shifted her hand to a spot with more obvious intent. “Daddy came charging in after me while the ninja on duty threw kunai and shot arrows at it, with _no_ effect. Godo carried me to shore just in time. Whatever it was, it just sunk back in and it’s never been seen since. That’s why that particular lake is off-limits.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he grunted, “Another.”

“Um, Bahamut SIN was aiming to spit a big ball of pain at me. Cid landed on his back and speared him in the back, just in time. Bahamut reared up and it flew right past my head. Barret almost bought it, but hell… _I_ was fine.”

“I remember that.” He closed his eyes again when she pressed her palm against him through the soft fabric of his pants and squeezed, just slightly.

_“Another.”_

“What is this, pillow-talk?” she giggled. He opened his eyes and stared down at her, his thoughts written all over his face. “Okay then, whatever works,” she quipped.

“WRO mission. Me an’ Elena got into a girl fight on the roof of a ten-story building and I was knocked off the side.” Yuffie’s other hand joined in on the fun, and very slowly she started pulling on the drawstrings of his sweat pants. “I was hanging on by a thread and slipping fast, and she managed to pull me back up by my shirt, which was almost completely over my head by the time I rolled back onto the roof, it was _that_ close.”

He let out a shaky breath. He needed to get them back up to the bedroom. Or at least to the rug in the parlor.

“We hugged and cried and have been buddies ever since.”

“Another one,” he frowned, breathing hot against her ear. She loosened the sweat pants and they dropped to the floor, pooling around his bare feet.

“Look at that, I guessed right,” she whispered, glancing down. “Commando, huh?” She gazed into his eyes, their faces so close, and his hips were drawn forward a little when she tugged on the front of his t-shirt.

“Reeve and me got chased by a pack of wild dogs in a junkyard once.” She kissed his throat. “I gave him a leg up the side of a fence and got _bit_ thanks to my protective, sacrificial nature. If he hadn’t pulled me up they would have eaten me alive.”

“All right, I _believe_ you.” He bit out the words, pulling her hands away from their destination. The barrier that was his sweatpants was now gone. If she started touching him _there,_ he’d never make it upstairs.

“Oh, _c’mon!_ You haven’t even heard which one was my all-time favorite save yet,” she whined.

“And that would be…?”

She stared at his lips, then his eyes.

“That was you. From Nero. Hands down.”

She was totally serious how. He couldn’t take much more of her penetrating eyes, and he pulled her to him for a hard kiss. She inhaled sharply, feeling his gauntlet at her back, pressing her closer to him. He released her mouth, and his lips trailed kisses across her jaw line until he got to her ear.

“No more foolish risks. You are _not_ allowed to die on me.”

He’d whispered it with a little more force than he’d intended, but all that did was encourage her. Yuffie launched herself off the table and Vincent stepped back in tandem. He thought to drag her out of the lab but she was just too fast for him, as most of the blood in his brain had flown south.

She grabbed his gauntlet and pulled, twisting them both until he backed into the lab table she’d just been sitting on. She pushed against his chest with both hands until he was forced to sit down. He hissed when the bare flesh of his rump made contact with the cold metal.

“Lay back,” she barked, stepping on the pile that was his sweat pants and sliding them across the floor behind her. She pushed his knees apart and put a hand on his chest, pressing hard. Vincent pushed in return and gave her a questioning look, but she would not remove her hand.

Yuffie was breathing just as fast as he was, but her head was much clearer. She kept her eyes on his as she slid her hand down his chest and past the bottom edge of his shirt, then boldly ventured lower. She wrapped a firm hand around his sex, and her knowing smirk intensified as she stroked him until he was completely hard.

Between the warm caress of her hand and the cold bite of the table, Vincent thought his brain might just fry for good this time. Some part of him still remained the gentleman, however, and he continued to refuse her demands to lay back.

She frowned, frustrated.

“Let me give you a _good_ experience on this table. Just one good memory, then you can rip this entire room to shreds if that’s what you want to do. I’ll even help you.”

If what she meant by a ‘good experience’ hadn’t been clear to him before, it was now.

He gave in, and leaned all the way back until the cold table was under his shoulder blades. Her mouth was on him before he had another thought, and he closed his eyes and let himself drift with the amazing sensations she was creating with her mouth.

He thought maybe she was just being generous, getting him good and ready and they’d switch positions, so that they could _both_ walk out of there happy, but he was wrong about that as well.

She made it very clear that he was to stay exactly where he was until she was finished with him. Her free hand pushed against his belly, holding him in place, and he hissed as she gripped the base of his erection with her other hand. She sucked very gently, her mouth moving up to encircle the head, then back down again, and again.

Vincent sat up slightly, knowing he couldn’t hold out much longer.

“Yu.. _Yuffie._ If you don’t stop, I’m going to–”

He gasped, as the hand on his stomach reached up to press against his chest, forcing him back down on the cold table.

She continued sliding her mouth over his length, maintaining a steady and gentle pull, until the perfect rhythm drove him over the edge. He cried out her name again, over and over, only this time it was not in protest.

Vincent didn’t know how much time passed before he got his breathing under control again. He tried to focus. His eyes were still closed but he could sense that Yuffie was still standing on her feet. She was bent at the waist, but her upper body was now draped across his hips. She was holding on to his hips as though embracing him, but she had long since released the rest of him. He felt cooling drops of liquid as they slid down the inside of his leg where her cheek was resting on his thigh.

_There will be some cleaning up, then._

Vincent knew that where decorum was concerned, he was being far too indulgent. He hadn’t done enough to stop her, and now he couldn’t hide the cheesy grin that crossed his face, even if it only lasted for three seconds. He ran his human hand through Yuffie’s hair, caressing her cheek and the edge of her ear, before getting up on his elbows to tell her how wonderful what she’d done had felt.

The words died on his tongue.

Yuffie wasn’t just holding him, she looked like she was trying to trap him there. The liquid he’d felt were her tears – not at all what he’d _imagined_ it to be – and she was still crying.

“Are you…” He swallowed hard. “Yuffie, are you all right?”

She sniffed, then reached a hand over to run her fingertips along the jagged scar on his hip. Tapping it lightly, she took in a shuddering breath before speaking.

“You’re not allowed to die on _me_ , either.”

 

+

 

_“Ah…_ Ow. Dammit.”

Vincent looked up from where he was replenishing the water in one of the gold chocobo’s stalls and turned towards Yuffie’s voice. She’d been raking the soiled hay out from the other one’s stall, but she was standing still now.

“Yuffie? What’s the matter?”

The Empress walked out from the stall and leaned the rake against the wall. “I think I pulled my damn shoulder.” She pushed at her collarbone with the fingertips of her opposite hand and winced.

Vincent put down the water bucket and walked over to her. He rotated her arm gingerly, and she gasped when it was at an angle pointing up.

Vincent shook his head and frowned. “I don’t think it’s sprained, but you should stop working for now. I _told_ you not to lift that bale of hay by yourself.”

“I know… m’sorry, Vince.”

“It’s all right,” he sighed gently, kissing her forehead. “Your eyes have always been bigger than your stomach.” She scoffed, slightly embarrassed. “I can finish up here. Go back inside and get that peppermint muscle ointment out of my bag. I’ll rub your shoulder out when I come back in.”

She met him in the library on the first floor. Swallowing the pain medication he’d brought her, Yuffie watched while Vincent set some pillows down in front of the hearth. He lit a fire, knowing the heat would help her muscles relax further. Smiling at his attentiveness, she stripped off her top and lay down on the pillows on her stomach, comfortable in nothing but a pair of old canvas shorts.

As Yuffie’s bare, smooth skin beckoned, Vincent rubbed the fragrant oil into her back, upper arm and neck – perhaps a little overkill for a pulled shoulder, but he couldn’t resist and didn’t care to. Absently, he noted that she was still hanging onto the tan from the chocobo ride to Nibelheim. He began working out the kinks in her neck and shoulder, his hands gentle and sure of themselves despite the metal appendage. She hissed in pain a few times at first, but that quickly turned into quiet groans until she was sighing in relief.

“You are _really fucking good_ at this,” she muttered, the side of her face mashed into a pillow.

When he was satisfied that he’d done all he could, Vincent left to wash his hands. He grabbed a book as he came back into the living room. Yuffie hadn’t moved an inch from where he’d left her resting in front of the small fire. He sat behind her on the floor, leaning his back against the edge of the couch. She was sleepy, and he didn’t want to move her, so he decided to just read next to her in front of the fire.

After a few moments she yawned, then flipped her head to face him. He smiled down at her as she began playing with the golden sections of gauntlet that covered the fingers on his left hand.

“Vincent, can I ask you something about your claw?”

“It’s a _gauntlet_ , if you please, and you can ask me anything you’d like about anything you’d like.”

She smiled again, hearing all the unspoken words. “I just wondered… you never seem to have to hold back with it,” she said, stroking the tips of the finger sections. “I know it’s permanently fused to you, and you must be totally used to it by now, but…  I’ve seen you slice through everything from trees and vines to monster hide and metal like it was butter. So how come I’ve never gotten cut? Like on my bare skin?”

“Here,” he said quietly, pulling the gauntlet away from her hands. He splayed the fingers of his left hand out before her, the tips shining bright near her face. “Touch the points again,” he said, and she did so without hesitation. “Smooth, correct? Perhaps even dull to the touch?”

“Yes,” she said, drawing the delicate tips of her fingers over the points of the metal, feeling no sharp edges anywhere, jagged or otherwise. 

“Now take your hand away. Don’t move, and watch closely.”

After she did as she was told, he flexed his fingers as though to grab something fiercely, and the edges of the metal changed before her eyes.

The light coming from the fireplace in the room was reflected off the edges of each section, now appearing sharp and dangerous. The tips had grown just a fraction longer, coming to a deadly point less than three inches in front of her nose. She eyed the metal, amazed and frozen in place at the same time.

“Apologies,” he said quietly, and in less than a second the gauntlet shifted to where she could see the edges were relatively harmless again. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, no, you didn’t. It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen you use it. Up close, you know.” Worried she might have offended him, she reached out immediately and took the metal in her hand again. “So you have control over it?”

“Only in the sense that it’s somewhat organic, so I have control over it the same way I have control over my other hand. It responds to my needs the same way any part of your body responds to yours.”

“So when we’re… um…”

 “Yes, when we’re ‘um’… obviously, I have no desire to hurt you. But if I had to keep my left hand in a box when doing any delicate task, let alone _you_ , it would be an enormous burden. I am sure it was designed with that in mind. There is little about having a metal appendage that I can consider fortunate, other than it has helped me save lives, but it is fortunate that it does change as I need it to.” He nuzzled her ear. “I probably won’t take up knitting anytime soon, but how else could I hold you close with both hands without damaging you?”

She smirked. “Is that why it’s… well, it’s not warm like your skin, but it’s never really been cold. I mean, like metal-cold.”

“There is a current of some sort that connects the metal to my nervous system. Not nerves, obviously, but… something else. I have no idea, actually. Yet another experiment Reeve wants to conduct on me, but I refuse. I’ve had enough of that, thank you.”

She snorted her displeasure. “Reeve needs a new hobby.”

“I thought that was Rufus.”

She looked up at him briefly, grinning. “Good one… So you feel everything the metal touches, and everything that touches it?”

“Yes. As if it were my skin.”

“Cool,” she said, tracing the gauntlet’s knuckles without a trace of fear.

He stared down at her brave, sweet face, and wondered where he would be and what he would be doing at that moment if he hadn’t come to Wutai.

Nothing good whatsoever came to mind.

_I’m a waste of flesh without her._

Exhaling, he took his hand back and encouraged her to lit still. “Get some rest, Yuffie. I’ll wake you up when dinner is done.”

 

+

 

“Yuffie?”

“In here!” she called. When he pushed the swinging door to the kitchen open, he found her reheating the leftovers from the meal that he’d made the night before.

“Fettuccine Alfredo. At nine a.m.?”

“My stomach says otherwise. It’s _lunchtime_ , Vinnie,” she quipped, then added quietly, “You have made me extra hungry this week.”

“Hn.”

He leaned against the counter and watched her moving about the kitchen with ease. She was wearing one of his black t-shirts and a pair of lime green panties with a chocobo printed on the seat. Her feet were bare, her toenails were painted green, she had a nice tan going, and her hair was down. He hadn’t seen her look so relaxed in months, and it made him feel good.

When she pulled an ornate bowl out of the cupboard, she held it up and gave him a questioning look.

“I could eat.”

“Oh _my_ , Fettuccine Alfredo at nine in the morning?” she teased. When he didn’t respond save to give her tiny smile, she said, “Uh-huh. That’s what I thought. Now what were you calling me for?”

“I broke my hair band. I need another one.” Vincent held up the tattered remains of the band he’d removed from Yuffie’s cut hair back on the Shera when he was starting his new assignment as her bodyguard.

So much had happened since then, and it seemed so very long ago now.

Her eyebrows shot up and she set the bowls down on the counter. Yuffie took the broken hairband from his fingertips and smiled.

“You know, I _thought_ that was one of mine. How on Gaia did you make it last so long?

He smiled slyly. “Like all the things I cherish, I took good care of it.”

“Plate the food when the timer goes off. I’ll go get you another one.” Yuffie moved to pass him, but thought better of it and stopped when she was in front of him. “Although your hair looks awfully nice all loose like that,” she said, leaning into his frame and hugging him around the waist. “You sure you want to pull it back today?”

Vincent palmed the top of her head with his human hand, smoothing her own dark hair back to get a better look at her face.

She was not yet twenty-five, but the very beginnings of crow’s-feet were forming at the corners of Yuffie’s eyes. Her reign as Empress was not going to be an easy one, and what little of it she’d been through had already taken a physical toll on her. It was a good thing they had taken this trip.

He stared into her eyes for a bit longer, as he found the wrinkles – like all her battle scars – to be quite attractive. He elected to keep that information to himself right then.

“I’m sure _I_ want to pull it back today. I’m also sure you’d like me to leave it down.”

“What can I tell you, I like tugging on it.” She sighed happily and pushed off of him, heading towards the door.

“Yuffie, put a second hairband on my pack, will you? I’ve been forgetting to ask you for another one.”

“What for?”

He turned away from her and opened the silverware drawer. “I took that one off of the rest of your hair. I’ve been meaning to re-secure the braid.”

She paused, smiling at his back. “So your pack, huh? That’s the ‘someplace safe’ where you keep the rest of my hair?”

He hesitated, then replied, “No one messes with my pack. And since no one else is allowed to touch that hair, that’s the best place for it.”

She grinned, loving the way he was a bit shy about what he was actually admitting, and still wasn’t facing her. But she knew better than to push too hard with the teasing when he got like that. It was more than enough that her stoic gunslinger had let her know.

“Makes sense,” she simply said, then left him alone in the kitchen to go upstairs.

When Yuffie went to put the requested hairband on his pack, curiosity got the better of her and she opened various pockets just until she found her leftover hair. Gingerly, she took it out and winced a bit as the braid continued to unravel. Her eyes caught the corners of some folded papers, visible at the edge of the pocket, and she recognized them as the two special notes she’d written to him.

Shaking her head fondly, she took those out as well.

When she finally reappeared in the kitchen, he hid his disappoint that she’d put on a pair of pajama pants.

He was sitting at the table checking his text messages on his phone, and the bowls had plastic wrap over them. Drops of condensation had formed on the tops. “Took you long enough.”

“Sorry,” she offered, sitting down to her food.

“You poked around, didn’t you?”

“You knew I would, right?” she asked, and he simply nodded. “I re-braided the hair and put it all back, secret notes and everything. I didn’t look at anything else in the pack, I swear. Just that stuff,” she said, wincing. “I’m sorry. Old habits and all.”

“Stop apologizing. You can look at whatever you want to, Yuffie. I’ve got nothing to hide from you.”

“I’ve got no reason to look, Vince. I just wanted to see the hair, and then when I saw the notes, I wanted to read those, too.”

“It’s okay, Yuffie.”

“But… I messed with the pack. I _touched_ the hair.”

“That’s okay, too.”

“You just said no one else can touch it.”

_“Yuffie,”_ he said, growing impatient.

“All right, all right! I’m just sayin’… if you’ve got some kind of a ritual thing going on there, _I_ don’t want to be the one to ruin it.”

“It’s _your_ hair. So you touching it doesn’t affect the ritual.”

She smiled down at her food while shaking some pungent cheese on her noodles.

_He has a ritual and it’s about **me**._

“Yes, I have rituals. And they are usually about you.”

“I was just thinking… Oh, Gaia, are we _really_ this weird?”

“Some might say weird, I’d say comfortable. But it would appear so, yes,” he responded. “Is that a problem?”

“Nope.” She smiled at him, blushing.

Later that same day saw a cool breeze come in to Nibelheim from the East. The temperature dropped until it was actually pleasant for August, so they went outside.

Yuffie was reading a book, sitting up against the trunk of a tree in the garden next to the chocobo paddock, with Vincent’s head resting in her lap. His eyes were closed and his hairband had been removed. She was playing with the dark, silky strands, but when she set the book down and stopped tugging on his hair, he opened his eyes and looked up at her.

“What is it?”

She bit her lip. “This morning…”

He sighed. “Yuffie, I _told_ you, it’s fine. For Leviathan’s sake… I’m getting better and you’re getting worse. Let it go–”

“No, not that.”

“What, then?”

“When I was alone in the bedroom, braiding that hair… it got me thinking. Remember when I told you not to cut yours?”

“I know I nodded off rather quickly, but… I’ll never forget anything about that night. Why?”

“I had no right, really. It’s _your_ hair, Vince.” When he didn’t respond, she said, “Say something. Please?”

“Well… to be completely honest, yes, it gets on my nerves. _Sometimes_ it does. But… more than that…”

She waited, not speaking.

“I _want_ to change it.”

“You… wanna cut it off?”

He sat up, facing her.

“Yes. Will you mind terribly?”

“Oh, I’d miss it. But I bet you’d look fantastic with short hair.”

“That isn’t the point.”

“Maybe not for _you_ , no,” she said, grunting as she stood up. She held out her hand. “C’mon, I’ll tie it back and cut it off.”

“What if you don’t like it?” he replied, taking her hand and standing up.

“A better question is what if _you_ don’t like it. Look,it’s just _hair,_ Vinnie. It grows back.” She looked back at him from behind the safety of her own brunette curtain, winking playfully. “Trust me, I know.”

Within moments, he was sitting down at a chair in the kitchen and she’d braided his hair, just like Tifa had done with hers. When the braid was secured at either end, she took the scissors she’d found in a drawer and opened the blades, hovering just next to the base of the braid.

“Vincent?”

“Do it,” he said emphatically.

Vincent’s hair was thick and wavy and healthy, and removing it didn’t go as smoothly as either of them thought it would. Several ragged, difficult chops later Yuffie finally separated the thick braid from his head, and his hair fell forward. It hung to just below his ears, and the uneven ends were in serious need of a clean up. Yuffie clutched the severed braid to her chest and stared at the back of his head, wild-eyed.

“Can’t fucking believe I just _did_ that.”

He nodded, then finally spoke. “I can’t believe I told you to.”

Yuffie rounded the chair to get a look at him from the front, and promptly gaped. “Uh, _no_. The grunge look is not going to work on you. You need to go into town and get it cut for real. Like, by a barber.”

Vincent nodded quickly. “Agreed. Before I seriously regret this.” He went upstairs to put on some very plain clothing as neither ninja silks nor his badass leather was going to be discrete enough for venturing out.

He could move unrecognized through the village well enough without the long flowing locks and odd clothing, but thanks to GaiaNet and ShinraTV, the Empress of Wutai’s face was too recognizable now, so there was no way she could go with him. “Stay here,” he told her as he headed for the back door. “And lock this door behind me.”

“I will,” she said, still clutching his braid to her chest.

“Stay here,” he repeated himself. When he got to the door, he turned, and grabbed her to him for a kiss. He only meant for it to be a peck, but after tangling his tongue with hers for over a minute, he took a breath. “Stay here,” he whispered against her mouth.

He straightened and she nodded, then she pulled him back down to her for another kiss.

She stood in the door as she watched him go, about ready to cry that she’d butchered his beautiful hair, when he turned and looked back at her.

 “Yuffie?”

“…Yes?”

_“Stay the fuck here._ Understand?”

“Leviathan’s _dick_ , Vincent. I’m not an idiot.”

“That’s debatable. Lock the door. And stay here,” he barked, disappearing on the side path to the front gate.

 

+

 

“What did you do?”

“…Nothing.”

He crossed his arms and stood his ground. Her behavior was off. She was _avoiding_ – which meant she had done something while he was gone and was trying to hide it.

“You’re lying.”

“I didn’t _do_ anything!”

She blinked and looked to the side for just a moment.

_“Yuffie Kisaragi.”_

“I didn’t!” she tried again, looking him in the eyes. “Honest. _Really._ _”_

But his interrogation didn’t last long when she licked her lips and jumped on him, forcing him to grab onto her as she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him fiercely.

She clutched the back of his head, marveling at the unfamiliar feeling of kissing someone with freshly cut hair, short and slick–

_Ohhhh… this is really nice too!_

She moaned as it slipped through her fingers like a shiny pelt, and kissed him deeply. Coming up for air, she gasped. “My Gods, Vinnie… You are so fucking _hot_.”

Vincent was torn. On one hand, she was obviously trying to distract him, and he hated to admit it but was working beautifully. On the other hand… she _was_ clearly aroused.

_What was I trying to do here…?_

He gave up.

Several hours later, the sun was down and they were lying by the fire, naked, again, sore, _again,_ and he had no remembrance of her sneaky little diversion – well he did, but he didn’t give a damn. She was stretched out on top of him, blatantly using his body like a mattress, and his dignity didn’t give a damn about that either.

“You look like you did as a Turk,” she muttered, her fingers still playing with his new haircut. “Only it’s a bit shorter, even. You know, not all Super-Cool-Spy-Assassin-with-Hair-Hanging-in-His-Eyes like you were back then.”

He got lucky that she was not looking at his face because his mouth was hanging open. “Yuffie… how in the hell would you know _that?”_

“I saw some pictures. Rufus dug up your file from when you were a Turk and gave it to me to read.”

He froze underneath her.

“You read my file.”

It was a statement, not a question, and it was definitely laced with a bit of venom. Still, Yuffie blathered on, unperturbed by the fact that she was completely vulnerable as she was, lounging like a lazy cat on top of a trained killer with a giant beast trapped inside of him.

“Yeah, I read it… And now that I think about it I should have asked for your WRO files, too. Then I’d have already _known_ where that hip scar came from… So, tell me, _lover boy,”_ she said, all saccharin-sweet. Yuffie tilted her head so that she could look him in the eyes. “How many times did you fuck a target and fail to report it?”

Vincent narrowed his eyes. “That was a long time ago. And they weren’t _all_ targets.”

“No?”

Yuffie sat up, still straddling him, and raked her fingernails downwards, from his chest to his stomach. The look on her face ran counter to the fact that she was naked and sweaty and glowing and–

_She’s getting the upper hand again. I really need to concentrate more,_ he told himself firmly. And yet his eyes drifted from her face, down to her neck, and lower. _They are **just** breasts,_ he tried again.

_Beautiful, pert, kissable–_

“Some of them were clients,” he blurted out.

She laughed out loud. “Oh, and that makes it _sooo_ much better! You’re leaving out the fact that some of them were horny barflies _totally_ unrelated to your mission,” she added, sprinkling more salt into the wounds of his illustrious past. “I mean, do they _train_ you Turks to be sluts?”

Momentarily distracted by her glistening tummy, Vincent ran his palms up the length of her thighs and gripped her waist. Two thumbs, one metal, one human, rubbed little circles on either side her of her navel. Yuffie huffed sarcastically, and when he looked up, she was watching him with a smug expression.

_Vixen._

He had to try and win at least some of the arguments on this vacation or he’d never live it down. “Sluts, you say? Well, I am no longer a Turk, but if _Reno_ is any indication–”

“I wasn’t _talking_ about _Reno,”_ she barked, punctuating her words by clenching both her teeth and her knees together – hard. He had to admit that her ninja strength had not waned completely when his eyes threatened to roll back into their sockets. “So tell me, Vincent... does Shinra Corporation teach their Turk recruits sexual techniques?”

“Just the men,” he said, gasping.

Yuffie relaxed her hold on him, giggling, and shifted her hips again in a most agreeable fashion. He almost sputtered when her slick privates slid against his own and woke them up.

“And you called _me_ promiscuous,” she whispered as she leaned down to kiss his chest, his neck, all the way to up to his lips. Vincent groaned, clearly torn between drowning in the bliss that was Yuffie’s mouth and wallowing in the discomfort that she knew such lurid details about his past life as a Turk.

It wasn’t so much that she possessed the information, because he’d had every intention to tell her those things – _himself_. Eventually. When he was damn good and ready.

But _Rufus Fucking Shinra_ had beat him to it. He was going to strangle the pretty blond bitch to death.

Yuffie sat back up and gazed down on him like the cat that ate the canary. Drunk on the power she was wielding over him, she barreled on.

“I was particularly impressed with your account of how you killed that drug smuggler in, what? ‘Seventy-eight, was it? There you were… balls-deep in some waitress from that dump of a diner the perp frequented. Just a wet behind the ears recruit, jizzin’ away like a mad bull – yet you still managed to shoot the scumbag when he accidentally strolled into the alley.” She shook her head. “Impressive, Valentine. I’ll admit to a wild past, but I’ve _never_ been fucked up against a brick wall next to a dumpster while shooting at someone. How in hades did you draw your gun without dropping her ass on the paveme–”

“Let’s go find that last Dorky Face again, shall we?” he said, interrupting her.

“Oh. _Har.”_

“Yuffie… as I said, that was a long, long time ago.” He gripped her cheeks tight in his hands until she squeaked happily. “And I was a fool.”

“Yeah, okay, but… Odin’s Olives, do all Turks put so much detail into their reports?”

“It’s a job requirement,” he answered casually. Then an evil thought occurred to him, one that he could not resist trying out. “My poor Empress. It must rankle, only being able to imagine what kind of sordid details Reno has revealed about _you_ in his reports.”

“Oh,” she sighed, faking a yawn, “To tell the truth, it was a _long_ afternoon. Me an’ Rufus read his stuff, too. I’m happy to report that Reno was instructed to be discreet. After all, _I_ am the leader of a nation, not some drug smuggler,” she said, haughtily. Yuffie hunched over just enough to slide a hand between them. She gripped him gently, testing his firmness. _“Or_ some waitress,” she added in a whisper.

Finding he was more than ready, she awarded him with a sarcastic smile. Vincent nodded, slightly disgusted, but only because she was _winning again_ as well as making his vision blur.

“Ah yes, your new best friend,” he bit out, “I can see it now, you and Rufus Shinra, reading old Turk reports over tea and cookies. All chummy. What’s next? Shall you hold sleepovers and give each other pedicures?”

“Maybe,” she said lightly, shrugging. Yuffie released him, sliding her hand from between their combined heat all too slowly. He had half a mind to tell her to put her damn hand back when she spoke again. “Why? Are you jealous? Rufus knows shit, I know shit, and we’ve learned the benefits of sharing.”

Vincent’s face grew dark when he thought about the fact that most of Yuffie’s friends were men. It wasn’t even a comfort that some of them were gay, or at the very least bisexual, and most of them were taken. What ate at him was that they were all either attractive, or powerful, or both.

He was just vain enough to include himself in that list, but still… She didn’t play the jealousy card too often, and when she did she knew exactly how to use it against him. That was just way too annoying.

_Okay. Time to play dirty._

“In any case… Eventually I had a reason to stop being so promiscuous. All that changed when I was assigned to Lucrecia.” He surprised himself when he realized that he was completely unfazed at the mention of his past love’s name.

Unfortunately, so was Yuffie.

“Well, _duh._ That’s what happens when you fall in love, dummy. Your whole world gets turned on its ear.”

“Hn.”

_Enough games._

She squeaked again as he pulled her off of him roughly, and when her body hit the pillows, he turned her until she was laying on her side with her back to his front. She assumed they were just going to spoon again, but when he lifted her left leg up with his gauntlet and pivoted it back over his thigh, she gasped.

“What on _Gaia_ are you doing?!”

Yuffied giggled when she felt first his thigh, then a few other prominent things, as he positioned himself carefully between her legs.

“Turning your world on its ear,” he whispered, and a shiver ran up her spine.

 

+

 

“Vincent, I made you some coffee, and– _Fuck!_ Oh my gawd! Tell me that’s _not_ your cape you’re incinerating!”

On their last morning in the mansion, Yuffie had been walking past him towards a bookshelf in the library when she glanced his way and noticed something red and burning on top of the logs in the fireplace. He was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace by himself, smirking quietly, with a fire poker in one hand and a crystal tumbler full of whiskey in the other.

Dropping the book in her hands, Yuffie screeched and dove towards the flames, intent on removing the smoking garment. Before she got very far, however, she heard the clang of the poker as it hit the hardwood floor and Vincent’s arm shot out to snake around her waist. He yanked her back until she was straddling his thigh and facing the fire, his mouth at her ear.

 “Don’t be ridiculous, I would never burn my cloak.”

He sounded downright smug.

“Then _what_ is _that,”_ she asked, leaning back to glare at him. She pointed at the red fabric that was busy going up in flames.

“That, Yuffie, is what was left of the red velvet lining the inside of my…”

Vincent paused, gazing at the flames as his eyes narrowed slightly. The corners of his mouth slowly quirked into a sly, almost evil little smile – what Yuffie called his ‘satisfied’ look, and she was seeing a lot of it lately. Vincent finally continued, amending what he was about to say.

“…of the red velvet lining the inside of _the_ coffin.”

Her mouth gaped open a little bit, and he smiled more openly, closing her mouth gently with the knuckle of one metal-covered finger.

“I didn’t take you up on your offer to help destroy the lab because there is still valuable research in it. But _this_ needed to be done.”

He shifted, sliding her off his thigh and tucking her into the circle of his arm.

“The coffin itself was made of granite, so I couldn’t burn it. Instead, I pulverized it with my gauntlet this morning while you were still asleep in bed. I was quite loud about it, yet you slept through the entire thing… I’ll have to remember that what I did to you last night is a perfectly acceptable cure for insomnia.”

Yuffie was too busy wrapping her brain around the fact that Vincent had _destroyed the coffin_ to realize he was being witty again. He inspected the row of short, clean fingernails on his human hand causally.

“The rubble has been mixed into the gravel path that winds through the backyard garden.”

She blinked at him, and he tilted his head in the direction of the fire.

“It was time.”

 

+

 

Four mornings later saw them waking up side by side on slightly harder ground, with less than a half a day’s ride to the Palace left to go.

Vincent and Yuffie remained still, lying on their backs and staring up at the treated canvas ceiling of their tent. The birds had woken them up with their mad chirping in the tall trees that surrounded their makeshift campsite, forcibly announcing the dawn to everyone within earshot. Empress and Bodyguard did not speak for a long time.

Yuffie finally moved, brushing the back of her hand against Vincent’s hip. She bent her elbow and raised her arm, barely grazing his skin until her palm came to rest on his stomach. He trapped her hand there with his gauntlet, maintaining contact as if on reflex.

“The gang will be even more surprised at how you look the next time we meet up,” she said gently.

He paused, sliding his eyes to the side to glance at her face. She was staring at the fabric of the tent, her mind clearly beginning to race again. Silently, he wished – for his own greedy wants, yes, but more so for the sake of Yuffie’s contentment – that they didn’t have to return. Not just yet, anyway.

“You think so?”

“Sure. The clothes, the hair, the coffin, all of it… for anyone who doesn’t know you the way I do, they’d think you’ve really changed, just going by your appearance and some of the things you’ve done.”

“You don’t think I’ve changed?”

She shook her head. “Last November, when things started between us…” She paused, and bit her lip.

“My dear girl,” he said, mocking her slightly in an attempt to lift her mood. _“Things_ started before that.”

She glanced over, staring at his mouth for a few moments, then looked into his eyes, nodding.

“Yeah… I just meant that the closer we get, the more I can tell, you’re the same decent, stand up guy you’ve always been. Only now, you’re just… I don’t know, less…”

“Withdrawn?”

“Okay. That’ll work.”

Yuffie flipped onto her side to face him. She reached over his waist, taking his gauntlet by the wrist. She tugged, turning him and wrapping his golden hand around her waist. When she put her arms around his neck, Vincent pulled her close until her mouth was nestled against his ear.

“God _dammit_ I don’t wanna go home yet,” she whispered, sounding slightly hurt.

_Must I disappoint her…?_

For a moment he thought she was going to cry, maybe even _hoped_ she would – so that he could pretend to be annoyed and give in to her desires, allowing them one more day of lazing about in the privacy of the wilderness.

_‘But just one day, Yuffie, and **no** more, because we are already late and the people we care about will begin to worry…’_

He went over what he wanted to say in his head, but her tears did not come.

“I know you don’t,” he finally answered, in a voice he granted only to her, tinged with sweetness and sympathy. “Neither do I.”

Five days ago they’d left the mansion and crossed the channel to Mime without incident, and then promptly began dragging their heels, consciously stretching out their time alone together like children lagging behind after a day of fun. The final leg of their journey should have taken no more than two days by chocobo, and it was now up to four.

But both of them knew that when they got back on the trail their next stop would be the pagoda, and then their treasured seclusion would truly come to an end. This very thought was now eating away at both of them, and they suddenly found themselves making love frantically.

Vincent’s arms and torso strained as he hovered above Yuffie, his fingers clutching at the thick blanket beneath her while he balanced on his palms. Her legs were snaked around his waist, and her hands had a death grip on his biceps. She looked up into his eyes with such desire on her face that the only response he could manage was to start thrusting inside her at fever pitch. Soon, their minds were a tangled mess of want and love and need, and they drowned in the sensations of their bodies coming together yet again.

But suddenly they paused, breathing heavily and staring at one another when they recognized that they were in a state of panic.  

“We should…” She swallowed hard, gasping. “We should _slow down,”_ she said. “Cuz it won’t matter what time we get back.”

He nodded in agreement. She released his upper arms, the pads of her fingers leaving bluish marks in his already pale skin. Vincent lowered himself until he was lying halfway on top of her, and thankfully she relaxed her legs in response. He cradled the back of her head in his hands, placing small, slow kisses on the sides of her face and neck. When he began moving again it was at a much slower pace, and Yuffie’s arms slipped around his back in a loose, comfortable hold.

“Everything will be all right,” he said, quiet and confident. She smiled, whispering his name in his ear, and he felt his heart swell.

They had no regrets, but it got them off to a late start. By the time the gleaming blood-red tips of the royal pagoda’s roof was in their sights, the entire structure looked like it was baking in the late afternoon sun.

He could practically hear her heart sinking. It was clear to the both of them that their sixteen-day respite could have lasted three months and it _still_ wouldn’t have been long enough.

 

+

 

They moved into the capital unseen by civilian eyes, but during the last few miles Vincent had sensed the ninja escort that had accompanied them home. Hiroyuki met them at the top of their hill, behaving a bit sheepish about his involvement in deceiving his beloved Empress. Yuffie hugged him fiercely and thanked him for helping to make it happen.

The quiet ninja informed them that he had stayed out of the public eye for the entire duration of their getaway, helping to further Chekov’s fiction to the public that the Empress and the prince had simply gone on a quiet vacation together. Vincent watched as Yuffie tensed up, asking Hiro if there had been any complications from the split while she was gone, but he insisted that everything was going well and she should simply relax. When Hiro glanced back at Vincent, the gunsliger silently nodded his thanks.

Yuffie and Hiro re-entered the palace as husband and wife, returning together from their trip. It was only a few minutes after they reappeared before Yuffie was deluged by royal staff members, asking questions and making requests. The Empress smiled at them cordially, not paying any mind to the stoic, silent bodyguard standing exactly three feet behind her, and she regally refused to answer any inquiries as to their recent whereabouts.

Eventually Chekov intervened and saved them. The councilwoman pulled her up to the second level and addressed them both when it was safe to do so.

“Delightful! We are hosting a group of motel owners from Costa del Sol tonight. You were not expected, so they will be absolutely thrilled when you join them.”

“Oh, Gods… Okay, what do they want?”  

“They want to open up an authentic Wuatin-style restaurant for the patrons near their establishments, so they are here to make a foodstuffs contract, and perhaps lure away a ‘Real Wutai Chef’ or two. Nothing complicated. Nothing we can’t handle for you, sweetheart. I know you are tired, but all you have to do is be gracious and tell a few jokes.”

Yuffie nodded, and Chekov smiled happily. The older woman announced her satisfaction with both Yuffie’s tan and Vincent’s hair, then she shooed them upstairs to get cleaned up for dinner.

When they finally got up to the third floor, two ninja guards nodded at them, maintaining their position in the hallway as though they’d been there all along and their charges had never left in the first place.

_Almost **feels** that way, too,_ Vincent thought, trying not to be bitter.

“Thanks, dude.” Yuffie sighed and pat his arm, giving him a sad smile as he locked the door behind them.

He bristled. “I was foolishly hoping you wouldn’t be attacked with their wants and needs the second we returned. But it appears I cannot fix everything.”

She looked down, biting her lip. “Maybe not. But, hey, you’re pretty damn good with what you _do_ fix, right?”

“Hn. Nevertheless, we should have left earlier this morning, and snuck back into the palace before anyone was awake.”

“Yeah, well… We were _busy_ , remember?” Vincent didn’t answer that, but he did blush slightly. He threw their packs to the floor as she tossed her tired body onto the bed. “Next time, we’ll be even more sneaky,” she continued, watching him. “Like the good old days.”

“Next time…?”

“Yeah, only let’s not wait another year to do it.”

“You had a good vacation, then.”

_“We_ had a great _honeymoon_.” She rolled over onto her stomach and smiled up at him with her chin perched on her palms. “It was the best two weeks of my life, Vincent.”

He stepped up to her and caressed her cheek affectionately. “And just think,” he said gently, “We have our entire lives in front of us to surpass it.” She smiled, completely unabashed at the suggestion behind his words.

After she got up and declared the bathroom hers first, he turned and began to unpack their things, content in the knowledge that _she’d_ never do it.

 

+

 

Two weeks later, a plain cardboard package, about the size of a cake box, was delivered to the pagoda, all the way from Nibelheim.

Yuffie thought she was being so wily, waiting until she had a moment all to herself to open the box. She removed the treasure nestled inside, ogled the handiwork, and then quickly hung it up on the wall.

Later that night, however, Vincent’s sharp eyes did not fail to miss another framed hairwreath on the wall above their bed, positioned right next to the first one.

“Hn.”

He smiled, noting how nicely the gold and red accents of this new one complimented the greens and yellows of the original one.

“Where is the rest of it?” he asked as he climbed into bed, reaching for her.

“Oh… Somewhere safe,” Yuffie murmured, then she kissed him.

 

 

 

 

+

 

_tbc_

 

+

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ++++++++ notes ++++++++  
> Vincent’s one-liner outside the door of the mansion came directly from an email to me from Miss Mihoyonagi. It made me laugh too hard not to use it, so I fully credit her here. From the eMails we’ve shared I can tell she’s probably forgotten more about FFVII than I’ll ever know.
> 
> I debated whether to make The Coffin wood or stone; personally I think it looked like wood in the game FFVII, but… when I saw the part in Crisis Core where Zack was in the mansion and he heard the snoring, as the lid slid off it made that ‘stone-on-stone’ sound, so… I’m a goin’ with granite.
> 
> Feedback would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.


	4. Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ++++++++ Please see disclaimer & story notes in chapter one ++++++++  
> My thanks to mihoyonagi, especially because she tried really hard to give me something that would work for the materia scene in this chapter. I have a feeling that if you played the game, what I’ve done here maybe isn’t going to sit well with you. It’s not correct or perfectly accurate to canon, but, I haven’t played the game, so that’s how it goes.   
> Fiction, bending rules, using it my way, no flames please, all that, thanks.
> 
> I fly beta-less. Please forgive the typos.

+

 

**Empress & Concubine II**

**Chapter Four**

 

Surprises

 

+

 

 

 

 

 

_“Oil excavation has bridged the gap between Mako use and so-called ‘greener’ alternatives, answering Gaia’s ever-present need for energy._

_“Our oil comes from all over the Planet, such as from the newly-formed Shinshuro Oil Company, with the bulk of Gaia’s oil-based energy now coming from Wallace & Highwind Oil.”_

 

“Hey! That was Barret and Cid for a sec – did you see, Cloud?”

Tifa watched, very amused, as Rufus Shinra glided effortlessly from one end of the bar’s television screen to the other, looking much like a highly seasoned game show host. He was framed by a backdrop of cheesy file footage – which in fact had featured Barret and Cid for a few moments, trying their best to look like respectable businessmen.

“How much do you think Rufus Shinra pays the networks when he does this crap? I _hate_ informercials…” Cloud groused.

The retired swordsman sat on the edge of a booth seat, looking relaxed with his legs crossed. His head was slightly hunched down to get eye-to-eye with their second-born daughter, Ariel. She was turning out to be even more of a handful than Elise, and she squirmed in her highchair as Cloud tried to get her to eat some mashed peas.

“C’mon baby girl. _Please?”_ he muttered pathetically.

“Are those _canned_ peas?” Tifa never took her eyes off the TV screen as she spoke. She opened a small refrigerator and took out a sealed container. “Try these instead,” she said, tossing it over her shoulder to Cloud with every confidence that he’d catch it. “Those were delivered special from her Auntie Yuffie. I mashed ‘em fresh this morning. Ariel’s already got better taste than the rest of us, so she’s never gonna eat that canned crap.”

Cloud opened the container and gingerly took a sniff, eyebrows raising. “Wow. What a difference… _I_ want to eat these.”

“Feed your daughter, Cloud.” Tifa grabbed the remote and turned up the volume on the television.

 

_“However, oil-based energies still require major sacrifices from the Planet… sacrifices that it can no longer afford._

_“Better solutions are now within our grasp! The Wutai nation helps supply twenty-three percent of the Planet’s fuel through crops used for biofuel production, and because of this, our neighbors to the West have led the mission for Gaia-friendly energy._

_“While the Wutai crops have provided, and will continue to provide, one step towards solving Gaia’s energy troubles, the question was raised – why waste such rich and valuable soils on plants that don’t need it?_

_“Switchgrass, the plant that is used for Shinra Biofuel, is practically a weed, and it doesn’t require great soil to grow. Seeing another opportunity to help the Planet, the Shinra Company recently began working closely with Empress Kisaragi and W &H Oil to help other nations extend Gaia’s biofuel production to lands outside of Wutai – where the soil is not so great, but the space to grow is plentiful. The perfect combination for Switchgrass._

_“Which brings us to the main topic of this message – what **is** the best use of Wutai’s unique, rich soil? _

_“The answer – Food! Did you know that over eighty percent of Gaia’s foodstuffs now come from Wutai?”_

Rufus moved to a map of Wutai, overlaid with clips of ranches and farms. Friendly, happy people smiled and waved at the camera, laden with sweat and hard at work.

 

_“In less than one year – just one single turn of Gaia’a seasons – Wutai has established itself as the agricultural center of the Planet, with her hard-working farmers and ranchers supplying every major city outside of Wutai continent with meat, fish, dairy, grains, vegtables, fruit… and liquor! Naturally, this includes Gaia’s famous resort town the Gold Saucer, where the graciousness of Empress Kisaragi Yuffie and Wutai’s citizens has transformed…”_

 

Cloud laughed for a few seconds while Rufus Shinra prattled on with praises for Yuffie and all things Wutai. He was still one who rarely smiled, and when Ariel caught sight of her father’s unguarded face she stopped fidgeting and looked at him, gurgling happily with mashed peas decorating her precious face.

“Oh _man._ Yuffie’s gotta be cringing, all that personal attention.”

“I know, right? It’s so bizarre!” Tifa laughed, wiping a tear away.

Cloud gazed at the last of the Wutai peas, half-tempted to eat it himself, but he resisted and hovered the bright green spoonful of deliciousness in front of Ariel’s mouth. The baby leaned forward with eager eyes and swallowed it greedily.

_“That’s_ my girl,” he said, standing up and removing Ariel from the high chair. “Rufus totally worships the _fertile Gaia_ Yuffie walks on.”

“I bet Reeve directed that little gem.”

“Hell, I bet he _wrote_ it.” He kissed Ariel’s forehead and turned to Tifa. “Can you clean this, please?” he begged, holding the little girl out towards his wife.

 

+ 

 

“Empress, we are just thinking of the future. That is all.”

“Okay, okay, I _get_ that. But I’m only twenty-four!”

“…Soon to be twenty-five.”

That came from Chekov. Yuffie turned and glared at her. “There’s still a lot of time.”

The council suddenly decided to bring up children again – more specifically an heir to Wutai’s throne – and Yuffie was getting antsy trying not to care. She was glad Vincent wasn’t present, because he would have been thoroughly uncomfortable.

 “If not now, when?” One of the newer council members, a young woman from a ranching family, added her two gil quietly. “You are fortunate to have a happy marriage. You and your husband, the Prince, are obviously quite fond of each other – and I doubt I need to point out to anyone that your children would be _beautiful_. So why wait any longer?”

Vincent was not there, but unfortunately Hiroyuki had accompanied her to council in his stead, and Yuffie could practically feel him bristling behind her.

She sighed. “Like I said, I get it. And I’m… _we’re_ going to make a buncha babies, okay? But _we’ll_ decide when, and that time is _not_ right now, okay? Can you all please just lay off?”

Father Oleg had volunteered to fill a council seat as well after the split. He noticed Yuffie’s stress during the meeting, which did not make him happy. He came up to her afterwards and suggested they take some tea together in the library and have a private chat.

“Now, you know you can come to me for _anything_ , Empress. Not just advice on matters of religion or law.”

Yuffie eyed him as she picked up a teacup. “Umm… You wanna talk about sex, Father?”

_“Yuffie Kisaragi.”_ He tried to sound stern and not to laugh, which didn’t work. “Yes, if need be. Just not in any sort of… detail. But if something upsets you, I am, of course, concerned.”

She nodded. “I know. I’m sorry for teasing. I’m just a bit…”

“Freaked out?” he offered, and she laughed. “Is this about Vincent? Because I sent for him to join us, so, we could wait.”

“Um… yeah, it’s about him a little bit. He really wants kids, you know. But he’s still worried about them comin’ out looking too much like him and not enough like Hiro. Red eyes, super tall, all that.”

“And are you?”

“Nope. I don’t give a fuck. Concubines have often become consorts, so that’s well enough accepted. And even if Vince _isn’t_ Wutai… with the split and all…” she faded off, looking at the fire for a moment. Oleg patted her hand, and she smiled at him. “Sorry. I’m better, really… but the whole thing is still a bit fresh.”

He sat up, scrutinizing her mood as he’d often done when she was still just a child. “You feel that since the split, breaking an old law such as having only a pure Wutai bloodline on the throne will be seen as, ah… not a ‘big deal’, as you say?”

“I _hope_ for that, at least. But what I really want is to overturn that law.”

He smiled. “I think you are right about that, child. The only thing that concerns me is the public’s perception of you and Hiroyuki. At present, they think you are happily married. That you are living together as husband and wife. So, if Vincent were to suddenly be revealed as your consort… that might be a bit hard to explain.”

She bit the inside of her lip. “I’d come clean about it right away if I needed to. To the Planet, even.”

“I know you would. But it may not make some Wutai happy, learning that you deceived them.”

“I only lied to save myself from having to marry Shinshuro.”

Oleg sighed. “And they’d see that, and in turn see through to reason - _eventually_. But, it _will_ be difficult at first.”

Yuffie nodded, sighing deeply, and didn’t notice as Vincent entered the library. “Well, we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it. Cuz… we’re _gonna_ get to it, you know.”

“What bridge is this, if I may ask?”

Yuffie and Oleg both turned to look at him as he came closer and poured himself a cup of tea.

“That’d be the bridge where you knock me up, sweetie.”

The cup stopped an inch from Vincent’s mouth, and he stared at her before answering.

“To our silver-tongued Empress,” he said, bowing his head and raising his cup to her before taking a sip. She snickered as Oleg shook his head, laughing. Vincent continued. “I take it the council is back to pressuring you to become pregnant?”

“Yep.”

He sat down, sighing. “You know my concerns on that.”

“Yeah, and I know you want a kid, too, Vinnie.”

He nodded. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Then we’ll have to send an invitation to Reeve to come to Wutai.”

Yuffie smiled, crossing her arms. “Golly. That was easy.”

Vincent set his cup down. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve learned to stop dragging my feet as of late.”

“How delightful! I _adore_ babies. But, what do you need Mr. Tuesti for?” Oleg asked, confused.

“He needs to remove Yuffie’s Shinra birth control device, so that I can… knock her up.”

 

+

 

_“Cold_ storage? Not cryogenic?”

“Yes, and anti-static as well, but only because there are some sensitive microchips in it, on top of the formula.”

Nadja frowned. “I’m not sure we have what we need to do that, Mr. Tuesti.”

“Just Reeve, if you please, and I’ve not come empty-handed.” He nodded at his WRO assistant, who left with a palace ninja and headed back to the helicopter. “Dave there will bring you a rather expensive piece of equipment that Rufus is donating to your facility. And I am sure, as there is room in it for much more than just the Empress’ device, some of Wutai’s female citizenry may want to take advantage of this technology as well.”

Nadja balked. While she loved the idea, she knew perfectly well that neither she nor her facility was up to the task. “Well, that’s a generous offer and all, but I don’t have the lab equipment, _or_ the computer know-how to make these–”

“Oh, not to worry. We can make a deal, same as always. You send us the blood and tissue samples, we create the devices. Sooner or later Rufus will come up with something beneficial that Wutai can do in exchange… Yuffie?”

“Oh – yeah! Sounds great to me. It’s one step closer to abolishing the purity test, right, Nadja?”

The nurse nodded, sighing. “I’m having trouble keeping up with all this, but yes… this is truly kind of you, Reeve.”

“Not at all. And don’t worry, please. Technology such as this is useless unless people share it.”

Reeve proceeded to show Nadja the task of removing the device under Yuffie’s arm and adjusting it for dormancy, and before anyone could blink, the Empress was sporting a small, moogle-printed bandage and was suddenly faced with her own fertility.

The nerdy intellectuals in the room moved away from Yuffie and Vincent as they took the device over to a workbench and continued chattering about microchips and blood work and delivery schedules. Now alone, Empress and bodyguard were quietly staring at each other - and trying very hard not to give anything away as they were, technically, still in a public place.

Their faces bore a mixture of fear and excitement, and their minds were racing with thoughts of the future… and the potential it now held.

Yuffie was leaning back on an exam table with her arm still resting over her head, looking relaxed and happy. “Changing diapers,” she finally whispered. She wrinkled her nose, and Vincent turned to face her, narrowing his eyes at her playfully.

“First words,” he added, taking one step closer to her. 

“Tantrums.” Despite her choice of words, Yuffie’s face was filled with longing, and whether it was for him or this as-of-yet imaginary child, she couldn’t tell.

“Watching her grow into a beauty, like her mother.” Vincent gave her a very small smile, and had to force his hands to remain at his sides.

“Dealing with his colic at three in the morning,” she quipped, smirking, and sat up to close the distance between them just a bit more.

“Good or bad, I look forward to _all_ of it,” he whispered, with more emotion than he’d intended to use in such a setting.

She smiled at him, and didn’t even care who saw it.

 

+

 

Reeve wasn’t scheduled to leave Wutai until the following morning, so Yuffie suggested a little sight-seeing before dinner.

“Does Wutai still _do_ that?” Reeve teased. “Here I thought the new Empress was against such things.”

“Oh, well, not the plastic leviathan figurine and tacky postcard version of it, no. But we still like to entertain foreign dignitaries.” She tugged on his wrist as they entered the village, looking back at him and grinning. “C’mon, I’ve got something _super_ cool to show you.”

Vincent and one ninja escort followed behind them, along with the new addition of a Royal Guard – which was nothing more than a young officer of the Wutai military. The young man was more than happy to be selected for this duty, as those in the military who had remained behind after the split were eager to align their forces with the ninja again, and even more eager to prove their loyalty to the Kisaragi house.

Yuffie dragged Reeve into a new building that was located not very far from the palace and still under construction. It was obvious that it was going to be a very traditional structure, similar in style to the pagoda itself. They watched from safe distances as the builders worked, with some of the older men and women stopping to bow and pay their respects to the Empress.

Yuffie was positively glowing with happiness.

“Yuffie, dear, what is this place going to be? Another banquet room?”

“No, no! We don’t need another one, the one we got is fine. This is something _much_ better.” She grinned, bouncing on her boot heels. “I’ve commissioned a museum! A Wutai _history_ museum, the first of it’s kind,” she added gleefully, “foreigners will be welcome to visit, _and_ there will be no white-washing of our past!”

Reeve tilted his head, smiling. “Are you telling me that ancient Wutai secrets are going to be… publically _immortalized?”_

“Yep! Ain’t it cool?!”

“Well my goodness. I never thought _this_ day would come.” He nodded, taking in the meticulous Wutai craftsmanship, which was visible even at this early stage. “But, are you sure that’s such a good idea, Yuffie? Secrecy and intrigue has always surrounded Wutai. You would be losing some of that appeal.”

“We’re already losing it, though. There have been enough outsiders, both of the interfering _and_ the influencing sort, that have come through Wutai in just this past decade. We can’t remain cutoff anymore. Rufus is the one that pointed that out to me – and it wasn’t just because he wanted those contracts. My country as a whole has gotta move forward, and in all sorts of ways.” Yuffie paused and glanced back at Vincent, who was staring at her. His face was impassive but his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

She turned back to Reeve and smiled. Briefly she put a hand to her tummy, saying, “There’s no reason why we can’t hang on to the traditions that make us who we are, but there are some things… some _laws_ that have to be changed, or we’re not going to survive.”

Reeve eyed her. “Well spoken, Empress,” he whispered, bowing at the waist.

She sneered at him for a moment before swatting his arm and said, “Oh, just quit it with that silly shit.”

Reeve was introduced to the foreman, who delighted in showing the WRO’s famous Reeve Tuesti how the construction crew was utilizing generators from Shinra in order to speed up certain parts of production. They were just about to be taken to a round annex room on the side that was nearly complete, when a ruckus caught their attention.

“What the hell…” Yuffie’s narrowed her eyes. Screaming was heard in the street outside the unfinished structure. She bolted towards the door, but didn’t get very far when Vincent grabbed her arm and pulled her back roughly.

“No,” he said, shoving her into Reeve’s arms. “Stay put.” He nodded at the officer, and the young man positioned himself in front of Yuffie and Reeve.

The screaming going on outside got much louder in a hurry. Vincent, the ninja, and several construction workers began to jog towards the front of the building, when an unbelievable sight burst through the unfinished foyer, reducing it to scrap lumber in mere seconds.

Yuffie recognized it immediately, but she had to convince herself that it was actually _there_.

The creature sniffed the air once, and looked around. When it located Yuffie, all hell broke loose as it completely destroyed the front of the museum in an attempt to get at her.

The ninja immediately threw several stars into his hide. They hit their mark, landing like studs across its chest and neck, but they barely even penetrated the thick hide. The thing stopped and swatted at the gleaming metal as though it was nothing more than a few insects bothering it.

It hesitated, as though it wanted to turn and run, shaking its head and howling. It slammed its fists on the ground and roared so loud the floor shook. But to Yuffie’s ears the noises it was making sounded more like pain – more like _suffering_ , than anger.

Reeve pulled her back further, shoving her entire body behind his, his intention to use himself as a shield if it came to that.

Vincent aimed Cerberus, but the group of men who had gotten it in their heads to defend and protect advanced on it as a group, and he quickly lost the shot. The thing swiped both its huge arms out in an arc to knock the men out of the way, and their bodies flew to the sides. They were all unconscious and lying in various piles of broken lumber all over the structure.

Now faced with defending Yuffie on his own, Vincent was out of patience. Steely eyes focused on the beast, and he raised Cerberus with the intent to kill.

“Gods, no, _don’t_ kill it! Please, not if you don’t have to!” Yuffie pleaded. He glared at her, but she continued. “Look at it! Something isn’t _right_ , I’m telling you!”

Vincent swore under his breath, but he did as he said. The creature was staggering and clutching at its head, but however clumsily it was still advancing towards them. It looked terrified, with large, albino-like eyes that were fixed on the Empress as though it saw nothing else.

He switched ammo, quickly loading his Thunder Materia into the slot, and took aim.

He hit it one time, and the beast roared and stopped in its tracks. It shook its head as if to clear it, then it growled at Vincent and began moving forward again, sharp teeth bared and thick streams of drool pouring from its mouth. Vincent stood his ground and shot it two more times. The magic reverberated off of every surface within fifty feet and any person who was still awake covered their ears and screamed from the sensation.

The beast howled in misery, and fell to its knees, yet it was _still_ moving, and it tried to get up.

Vincent cursed, and fired one more round into the thing’s chest. Finally, _mercifully_ , it went down, and it stayed down.

Her ears were ringing, and she was still fighting to focus through the din of all that spent magic, but Yuffie leaned out from behind Reeve’s side and took in the scene.

“Is it–”

_“No,_ it is _not_ fucking dead,” Vincent yelled at her, done with protocol. “So stay the hell back!”

She offered no argument and slunk back behind Reeve, finally taking notice that she was clutching at his jacket so tight the wrinkles were bound to be permanent.

 

+

 

The beast remained in what Reeve could only assume was a coma. He contacted Rufus, who barked at Reno to get a chopper to Wutai ASAP, with one of those portable holding cells leftover from Deepground in tow. Reno took three Turks with him, and they were armed with large-animal tranquilizers, just in case.

Yuffie maintained her stance that it not be killed. Until the help from Shinra arrived, the ninjas and soldiers did the only thing they could to keep it from going on a rampage again should it wake up – by tying it up with steel cables and rope from the construction site. Everyone seriously doubted it would hold for very long, but they did it anyway.

Three hours later, between the Wutai army, the Turks, and the construction workers, they managed create a crude ramp and got the snoring creature loaded into the cell – and luckily, it just fit. Reno fired up the chopper again and hoisted it to the landing pad on the pagoda, and there it stayed for the night.

The beast never woke up, and Reeve was having serious doubts that it ever would, when he got into an argument with Yuffie as to what they were actually going to _do_ with it.

“Yuffie, I’m being honest with you when I say of _course_ I want to study it. This is unprecedented! But even if I didn’t, we cannot ignore the fact that it came after _you_ , specifically, and that is a thing that begs our attention. Yes?”

She bristled.

“Yuffie, let Reeve do what he does best,” Vincent urged.

“All right, already! But I still say something weird was going on with it. I don’t think it _wanted_ to attack. You won’t… _hurt_ it, will you Reeve?”

“We’ll have to keep it in a secure environment, obviously… but I assure you, there won’t be any experimentation or anything unsavory like that.”

_“No_ exploitation, Reeve. I _mean_ it.”

“Empress, I give you my word.”

 She nodded, consenting, but still clearly unhappy. _“Dammit,_ this doesn’t make any _sense_. Attacks have been reported, sure, but that only happened when idiots who thought it would be fun to mess with them went exploring in their caves. Damn fools got what they deserved, I say… But these things, well, everyone _knows_ they’re shy. And they’ve _never_ been known to stray from their own lands.”

“It makes sense when you take a leap,” Reno offered.

Yuffie frowned, but then her eyebrows shot up. “What – _Shinshuro?”_ Reno shrugged. “That’s a pretty big leap, Turk.”

Vincent frowned, feeling uneasy at the implications of Reno’s theory, but it had a lot of merit and he’d already been thinking it himself. “Once a quisling, Yuffie.”

She nodded at him, if reluctantly. “I admit that that’s a perfectly reasonable suggestion. But… politically, _I’m_ not really in a position to think that way.” She sneered. “Not out _loud_ , anyway.”

Reno and the others that had arrived on the scene were given meals and guest rooms for the night. Fascinated with the new discovery, Reeve monitored the creature’s stats from outside the pen for a couple hours. When he was convinced that nothing was going to change, at least until he _made_ things change, he left it there and retired to his own guest room.

Yuffie and Vincent were finally alone in her chambers, both of them frustrated and preoccupied with this latest development.

“I’m too tired to make a baby tonight, okay?” she joked, but her voice wavered. He frowned, stepping up to her and sighing.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you at the museum.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Oh, that’s okay. I deserved it. And everyone’s ears were ringing so bad, I doubt anyone even heard you. Um… thanks for saving me… _again.”_

“This brings the count to thirty-eight, does it not?” he asked, brushing some stray hairs behind her ear.

Yuffie laughed, but only for a moment. Then she covered her face, grumbling into the palms of her hands. “Fuck!” she finally spat, sounding disgusted with herself.

She started crying in earnest after that, and having no other recourse, Vincent quickly pulled her close. She leaned into his tall frame, crying her eyes out in the arms of her bodyguard, her concubine – her soon-to-be _consort_ – safely out of sight in their room.

 

+

 

_“Gods, don’t kill it! Please, not if you don’t have to!”_

Slinking back into the woods, the tall, slender woman laughed as she remembered Yuffie’s loud, panicked words. She’d had no trouble hearing the young woman’s screams from her hiding place in an alley across the street from the unfinished museum.

She’d positioned herself close enough to see what would happen, but remained carefully out of the sight of Wutai’s innocent citizens as they screamed and stumbled in the street. Holding a glowing orb of _Manipulate_ in her hand, she watched as the creature advanced over the rubble that used to be the foyer of the building, intent on killing Yuffie Kisaragi, just as she’d instructed.

She was still amazed at how easily the thing had responded to her orders.

It’d followed her obediently all the way from Shinshuro’s new country, never uttering a sound and carrying out her every command like a submissive, beaten cow. And when she saw the perfect opportunity to test out her theory, she turned and eyed the creature coolly, projecting the image of the Empress of Wutai into its thoughts. She told it to _kill_ what it saw. Initially, it resisted, but she’d anticipated that. She focused the magic and pushed the idea into its mind, hard, causing so much pain in the poor thing’s head that it almost started weeping. When it finally gave in, she set it loose on the village and watched, silent and completely undetected, as mayhem unfolded in the street.

She watched as the Empress’ bodyguard attacked it several times over with his own magic, a material whose effects she recognized as _Thunder._ He’d utilized it by way of a gun, of all things.

Weakened, frightened and disoriented, the creature finally dropped to its knees and she actually _felt_ the fight slip right out of it. She released her magical hold on the beast, and it fell over as the glow of her command materia quieted. Satisfied, she pocketed the orb, wrapped her dark cloak tightly around her shoulders, and disappeared into the shadows of the woods with no one the wiser.

As she traveled south, she went over what she had seen in her head. There was a lot of information to present to Shinshuro when she got back.

She preferred being alone, and it wouldn’t have been such a bad hike if the bite wound on her arm hadn’t started itching like mad. She shook her head. It was hard to believe that such shy creatures, herbivores on top of it, would _need_ teeth that sharp. But since the beasts had proven themselves to be somewhat docile over the last several weeks, it made a kind of sense – the sharpness of their teeth insured any bite would be quick and nearly painless… making it a very non-violent way to deliver the substance in their saliva into their victims – if you could even call them that.

She was just glad that Shinshuro had finally ditched his poison-making plans, because the distillation process was dangerous and nasty. Thankfully, he had agreed to her suggestion of using the creatures themselves instead of their spit.

She also wanted the damn money that Shinshuro had promised her for this first task. There was this nagging feeling that if she didn’t bring it up, he’d find a way to stiff her. She didn’t know much about the previous woman that had done this type work for him, but at least _she_ wasn’t stupid enough to trade cold, hard cash for cheap sex and phony proclamations of love.

 

+

 

“Man… We haven’t really had a chance to catch up this time. How ya been, Yuffs?” Reno scratched the back of his neck and gave her a casual leer, but his heart wasn’t in it.

His visit had been very short, too short for Yuffie’s taste. Between being called there on an emergency and then the race to get the creature secured, there hadn’t been much time for visiting the night before – save to discuss unpleasant theories. Breakfast had barely been digested and now they were all chatting on the landing pad, preparing to say goodbye once again.

“Well, I _do_ have some news, but you gotta keep it quiet.”

“Not a problem, you know I’m good for that.”

“Yes,” she grinned, “Nasty hip scars and all, boy do _I_ know it.”

“Oh… so you finally found out about that, huh?” Reno winced.

“After I dragged it out of him, yeah. No worries, Turk.” Yuffie thought better of telling him just exactly _how_ she got that story out of Vincent, and moved on. She shrugged, all charming and bubbly, then just blurted out, “Vincent and me are trying to get pregnant!”

Momentarily, Reno seemed shocked, as though he’d been told something that was expected, just not necessarily at that moment.

“Well damn, Yuffie!” He brightened, recovering quickly - but not before she’d noticed his odd reaction. “That’s great,” he nodded. “You’ll make a really great mom.”

He turned towards the chopper and took a few steps – very _slow steps._ To Yuffie’s eyes he wasn’t blatantly trying to walk away or blow her off, it was more like he just didn’t want to _look_ at her right then.

But she wasn’t having any of that. “Hey…” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pulled, stopping him. Reno turned back to face her, hoping that Reeve would come rescue him soon. _Really_ soon.

“You okay?” she asked gently.

Suddenly feeling doomed by his own emotions, he grinned automatically. “I’m good, yeah. Of course - I’m _always_ good!”

Reno’s smile was genuine. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, just as she did. But he was covering up something as well, and Yuffie couldn’t help but try to force it out of him.

Reno grew quiet at her insistent gaze. He looked down at her, staring back a bit longer than usual. She frowned.

“You’re not _worried_ about me… are you?”

The Turk glanced over at Vincent, who was still chatting with Reeve. Reno half-expected to have seen the jealous gunslinger watching him carefully, as he was standing close to - and alone with - _her_. But Vincent seemed to be completely unthreatened by his presence, and for some reason that stung even worse. 

“Nah, why would I worry? You got an entire army, albeit a small one, a menacing fleet of ninja, _and_ The Mighty Valentine watching over you.” He grinned, but somehow the expression did not reach his eyes.

She squeezed his wrist and took a tiny step closer. “What aren’t you saying?”

Looming above her, he frowned. _Fuck,_ he thought, **_Why_** _does she do this?_ _An’ why do I **let** her? _

He bit the inside of his lip before answering. “I’m happy for you Yuffie. You’re gonna make babies with the guy you _should_ be makin’ babies with.”

_“Reno…”_

“Look, Yuffie,” he began, “I gave you up. Not that we were _committed_ or anything, but… still. It hurt some, you know? I know it was the right thing to do, but… every now and then…” When he paused, she stopped glaring at him and her face crumpled a bit – into _sympathy,_ and that he simply could not take.

“I’m okay. I’m _fine,_ yo. I just… miss you. And I’m _allowed_ to, okay Mrs. Nosy Empress Leader of a Nation?” He laughed quietly, but when she didn’t laugh with him, he wasn’t able to stop himself from reaching out and stroking the side of her face for just a moment. When he took his fingertips back and straightened, she let go of his wrist, and looked down at her feet.

He regretted having told her anything, but he never was able to lie to her – not once she started asking questions, anyway.

“I miss you too, you idiot,” she muttered suddenly.

Reno frowned. “Hey,” he said, putting a finger under her chin so that she’d look at him again. “You ever need me, you know where to find me.”

“Ready to go?”

A pleasant voice cut through their reverie like ice water, and they both realized that Reeve and Vincent had walked up to them while they were preoccupied with each other.

“You got it,” Reno chirped. Without another glance or a parting word, he turned on his heel and headed for the chopper. Yuffie frowned, watching his dark Turk suit billowing in the breeze as he jogged across the pagoda’s landing pad… and _away_ from her.

Reeve gave Yuffie and Vincent his best wishes for a speedy conception, and promised Yuffie one more time that he’d take the best care he possibly could of “her creature”. When everyone was securely aboard, Reno began their ascent, which had been made that much more dangerous due to lifting off with the creature’s holding pen attached to the chopper via cable. But he’d done it perfectly last night, just as he’d done the same kind of thing many times before. Reno maneuvered the chopper with practiced accuracy, and within moments Yuffie and Vincent’s visitors were on their way home.

Vincent turned slightly to look at Yuffie. She was standing next to him on the landing pad, gazing at the chopper while it faded from view.

“Are you all right?”

His voice was quiet, and not at all jealous. She waited a moment, then turned to face him.

“You heard every word we said, didn’t you?”

He didn’t answer, save for a quiet “Hn.”

“Thanks for not intimidating him. I think he needed to say that.”

“I think _you_ needed to hear it, too.”

Yuffie balked, waving her hands in front of her, denying any wrongdoing. “No no no! That’s not what I meant! I don’t… I don’t _want_ him like that anymore, I’m just-”

“Stop that,” he said, slightly irritated. “I never thought you did. I have someone in my past too, remember?” Now alone, he put his arm around her shoulders and began walking her back to the stairwell. “It’s very difficult to figure out how you are supposed to feel about someone like that, especially when there was never really a break-up involved,” he said. “You love him, Yuffie. I understand that. And it’s okay.”

“It’s… _really?_ You’re good with it?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Okay…”

He paused, then added, “Just don’t ever play naked with him again, or I’ll be forced to kill him.”

“Vincent Valentine!”

He smiled to himself, tiny and smug, then pushed her gently through the door of the roof.

 

+

 

“And the bite?”

“Itched some, but I got over it. It’s not getting any worse if that’s what you mean. It’s already started to heal. And the effects have worn off completely. I walked right past their cages before coming in here and I didn’t feel anything.”

Shinshuro nodded, taking down a few notes. “We’ll have to keep that in mind. If it’s that temporary we may have to up the dose.”

“As long as it’s just the raw stuff, I don’t think that’d be an issue. But we need to try it with a group of them next time.” She crossed her arms. “Look, _General,_ I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d like my first goddamn payment now.”

Shinshuro looked up from his notes. “All right,” he said smoothly. He opened a safe under his desk and quickly pulled out a sack of gil.

Setting the pouch on his desk, he slid it forward, but only so far, making it so the woman had to lean over to take it – which gave _him_ a nice view of the tops of her breasts.

She straightened and began counting the payment, making sure he wasn’t ripping her off. Shinshuro eyed the coins fondly. He really hated paying anyone anything, feeling that they should just work for a position in _his_ government. But, mercenaries like this one had become a necessity.

He rose and came around the desk, sidling up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. He pressed the front of his body into her back, making his intentions all too clear.

“Lea Ann, are you _sure_ there isn’t some other arrangement we could come to?” he asked, trying for a purr as he stroked the palms of his hands up and down her bare arms. “Something other than money? Something that will be gratifying for us _both?”_ He let his knuckles slide against the sides of her breasts, and she laughed rudely.

Stepping out of his embrace, she turned and glared at him.

“What, sex? _Please_ , old man. You’re paying me with _gil,_ not dick.” She sneered at him. “Besides, I like girls.”

 

+

 

October and November came and went without much fuss that year, and both Vincent and Yuffie were grateful for it. Chekov arranged a small, private party for Vincent’s “thirty-third” birthday – what was actually his sixty-sixth, although he wasn’t really counting anymore – and there was the normal public fanfare for Yuffie, who turned twenty-five.

They were too busy concentrating on the private business of trying to get pregnant to even be concerned about their birthdays.

Yuffie wrote him another letter on October thirteenth, as it’d become a private tradition between them. Vincent’s birthday had marked their first anniversary as a couple, and they’d wasted _no_ time in celebrating that, with Vincent scrounging the palace for some ‘new’ recycled pillows.

“Vincent… Do you remember in Deepground, when we were attacked in that transport, and I hit my head?”

“Which time?” he laughed, his head resting against her lower body. She looked down to see the firelight reflected in his red eyes as he stared at the flames, completely at ease.

Sighing, Yuffie continued to play with his hair. “I said when we were _attacked_ , not when I jumped up and hit it on my own,” she said tartly.

“Yes, I remember. Vividly,” he drawled. “You were unconscious and of no help to me in fighting off those droids.” She scoffed, swatting at his shoulder, and he laughed again.

“Well, _excuse me_ for being clumsy.”

“I’ll excuse you for being unconscious, not for being clumsy.”

“All right, all right. I have a question.”

Silence.

“Vince?”

“Ask it, Yuffie.”

She sighed. “When I woke up, you were gone, and…”

She paused, chewing the inside of her lip. He turned his head and his eyes scanned the length of her bare torso all the way up to her face. It was a bewitching angle. When he was able to focus, he noted the pretty blush high on her cheeks.

“Yes,” he said, but it was not a question.

She looked down at him.

“Yes. After I defeated the droids, I put the pillow under your head. I put the blanket on top of you. I put the headache remedy and the bottled water next to you, and I locked the transport securely before I left you there alone.”

She smiled, smug.

“Satisfied?”

“Not yet,” she whispered, “But… I’m sure you’ll see to that as well.”

Fifteen minutes later she was smiling unabashedly and catching her breath as he crawled back up her body to lie next to her on the pillows.

_“Now_ are you satisfied?”

“Yup.”

_“Glutton,”_ he teased. Vincent stroked a rigid nipple with his thumb absentmindedly, and she hissed through her teeth.

“Sorry, it’s just… That actually hurts a little bit.” He frowned, covering her entire breast with his human hand. She wrapped her own hand over his, keeping it in place, willing the heat of his palm to sink into her skin.

“Don’t apologize. You seem to be sensitive all over tonight… In fact, I lost count how many times you came just now–”

_“All right_ , Captain Ego, that’s quite enough of that.”

“Hn. You’re a few days away from getting your cycle, I think.” She frowned. They were trying, Gods above and below were they ever _trying_ , but she still wasn’t pregnant.

“Probably,” she sighed, looking away from him. “I try not to think about my damn period anymore.”

Vincent knew that was her way of saying _because I don’t want it to come_ , but, he let it go.

He stood up and stretched, then gave her a hand up. Keeping her fingers entwined in his, he pulled her away from the fire and pillows and over to the bed, where they got in together.

“Happy birthday, Yuffie,” he said, kissing her cheek.

_“Thanks,”_ she said, kissing him in return. He could tell she was preoccupied with the talk about babies, though, so he tried to make her feel better.

“Do not forget what Nadja said.”

“Yes…”

“Sometimes it just takes a couple a bit longer to conceive.”

“Mm-hm.”

“I want a child. I do, but…” He paused, weighing his next words. He wanted to make sure she understood him, but his sudden silence made her look over at him. He shifted, moving until he was half on top of her.

He pulled her close. “If you don’t ever get pregnant, I won’t care.”

She smiled. “Liar,” she whispered, kissing him again. When she finally released his lips, he smiled back.

“All right, I’ll care. My point is, it won’t matter.”

“Why?” she asked coyly, tugging on a chunk of his short hair.

“Because I love you.”

 

+

 

Yuffie looked up suddenly, and her face paled until she was as white as a ghost. Vincent dropped the papers he was reading right on top of his breakfast of eggs and mushrooms. He leaned in closer towards her, grabbing her hand.

“Yuffie? What is it?”

She opened her mouth once, but didn’t say anything, then she stood up on shaky feet, holding her stomach. Vincent felt the terror welling up as he remembered how Shinshuro had tired to poison her once before. He was on his feet in a flash, standing in front of her with his hands on her shoulders, yelling, _panicking_.

“What is it? Yuffie, _answer me!”_

Yuffie gave Vincent an apologetic look. She covered her mouth and bolted to the bathroom, nearly stumbling over all the pillows that were still strewn in front of the fireplace from where they had been laying around the night before.

He ran behind her, following her into the bathroom, and was able to pull her hair back just in time before she retched into the toilet bowl. Everything she had eaten that morning, which hadn’t been much, came up quickly. That was followed by bile, then saliva, until there was nothing left.

“Easy,” Vincent urged, rubbing her back with his human hand. “You’re having dry heaves. Just try to breathe.”

Yuffie forced herself to calm down. She breathed in and out, shaky at first, but eventually she relaxed. She sat down with her rump on her heels and closed her eyes, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“It’s okay, it’s all out. I’m okay.”

“Not if you were poisoned, you’re not,” he said sternly, making sure she wasn’t going to pass out and fall over. When he was satisfied, he went to the sink and got her a glass of cold water and a hot, wet washcloth.

She rinsed out her mouth twice, leaning over to spit into the toilet each time, then drank what was left in the glass. Vincent flushed the toilet and took the glass from her hands, then he kneeled next to her on the hardwood floor and gently wiped her face with the soft cloth.

He checked her out meticulously while he cleaned her off. Yuffie didn’t look green, and her pupils were neither dilated nor contracted. Her temperature was normal, and her heart was beating a bit fast, but it was steady and consistent. He refreshed the washcloth with more hot water, and resumed wiping her face and neck, watching her carefully.

Yuffie cracked an eye open and looked up at him. He still looked very worried. “I don’t think it was poison,” she finally said, loathe to interrupt him because it always felt _so_ good when he tended to her.

“How can you be sure?” His voice was quiet, but dark, as though he was angry.

“Because you’re just fine. We ate off the same plate, Vinnie. I wasn’t touching my food, I mostly stole bites of yours. And you’d be sick too because you don’t have that much defense against poisons anymore, right?” He stopped wiping her face for a moment and she shrugged. “Your eggs just looked way tastier than my oatmeal.” She laughed, closing her eyes and leaning into his hand when he began wiping her skin again.

“Fair enough, but I’m still going to call Nadja and have her look you over.”

He tossed the cloth into the hamper and helped her to her feet. Vincent continued to look down at her face, and the worry was etched deep.

“Don’t look like that,” she said softly, putting a hand to his chest. “I’m okay, really.”

“No, something’s wrong. Or you wouldn’t have vomited like that.” Vincent’s gauntlet came to rest in the crook of her waist, instinct taking over and telling him to keep her close. Keep her _safe_.

Yuffie’s hair had fallen loose across her neck and face. As he tucked it behind her ear, he frowned and continued to scrutinize her face. “I can’t help it, Yuffie. It terrifies me when I think you are being threatened in a way that I am helpless to fix.”

“Vincent,” she said, smiling weakly, “I love you for that. But not _everything_ needs fixing, okay?”

“What do you mean?”

She paused, biting her lip. “What day is this?”

Her question took him by surprise, then he said, “Thursday, the nineteenth. Why?”

She looked down slightly, thinking. Nodding, she sighed and smiled. “Because I _think_ I’m pregnant.”

He looked at her for a long time, body rigid and expression unreadable, then he finally moved. Vincent got down on his knees in front of her and turned his head to one side. He placed his hands on her hips and hugged her, with the side of his head against her lower stomach.

Yuffie smiled down at him. He’d grown very comfortable expressing his feelings for her behind closed doors, and he was no slouch when it came to being affectionate, but he didn’t get _this_ romantic too often. She decided to enjoy the moment. She tangled her fingers in his soft hair and stroked his scalp. Taking a breath, she was about to speak when–

“Hush,” he commanded, very gently. “Stay still. And hold your breath for a moment.”

She did as he asked. Yuffie’s fingers stilled as she continued to hold his head in her hands. He pressed his ear to her just a bit more, moving a bit lower down her abdomen, and closed his eyes. As she looked down at him, watching his expression, his face looked stern while he concentrated.

Yuffie didn’t know how long they were like that, it could have been days before Vincent finally shifted. As she exhaled slowly, he loosened his hold on her hips and looked directly up at her.

Her breath caught in her throat. There were _tears_ in his eyes.

He whispered, “I can hear a heartbeat, I can _hear_ it–” before he closed his eyes, tears falling from their corners. “Gods… _Yuffie.”_

His head went to her body again, this time to rest his forehead against her tummy as he gripped her hips in his fingers just a bit tighter. Yuffie smiled, running her fingers through his hair again and stroking the back of his neck. Then he sobbed – just once, and the choked sound paralyzed her where she stood.

It was a noise that she never, _ever_ thought she’d hear come out of _him_ , and she honestly didn’t know what to do.

_Is he upset about this? Is he **crying**?_

Vincent’s breathing became harsh, and she could tell that he was, in fact, crying – but he was trying really hard to hide it, too. By this time he was sitting on the floor and practically sagging, but his hands had snaked around her back, and it almost seemed like he was afraid to let her go. She slid down until she was on her knees, her head just above his. She hugged him hard, wrapping her hands around his neck and cradling his head on her collarbone.

He stilled, then pulled back just enough to look up into her eyes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be crying–”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Her directness surprised him, and she wiped the tears off his face before he could object. She smiled, adding, “Remember when you told me I could tremble all I wanted?” He huffed, suppressing a laugh. “I swear to Leviathan’s tailfins, Vincent, if you ever apologize for crying again I will _punch_ you.”

He laughed at that, and she smiled at him sympathetically.

“So… I take it you’re not ready?” she asked, her hands still at his face.

_“No_ …no, that’s not it.”

She raised her eyebrows. It came out more emphatically than he’d meant. He closed his eyes, trying to compose himself. When he continued it was in a more gentle tone.

“I’m…” he took a long, shuddering breath, “After everything that I’ve been through, I never even thought I’d be able to have a life, and now I have you… _and_ a child.”

He did smile at her, finally, and she was forced to swallow another gasp. The expression transformed his face, like someone had flipped on a switch underneath his skin.

“I’m _very_ happy, Yuffie. That’s all.”

“Aw, Vinnie, _stop that_ , yer gonna make _me_ cry now.” She kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger on his warm skin.

“I love you. More than I ever realized was possible.”

“I love you too, you great big emo, but you can’t kiss me yet because my mouth still tastes like crap.”

They both laughed and settled for hugging, safe and secure in each other’s arms. They stayed that way for a long time, sitting on the floor in their pajamas with tousled hair and swiftly beating hearts, feeling warm all over as the bright morning sun streamed in through the bathroom windows. 

“Vincent, you are going to be the _best_ dad… like, _ever.”_

 

 

 

 

+

 

_tbc_

 

+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ++++++++ notes ++++++++  
> Feedback would be appreciated.


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